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OF  WHAT  DOORS  DID  MICHAEL  ANGELO  SAY:    "THEY  ARE  WORTHY  TO  BE 
THE  GATES  OF  PARADISE  ?  " 

Curious  Questions.    Vol.  I., page  no. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS 


HISTORY,  LITERATURE,  ART,  AND  SOCIAL  LIFE 


DESIGNED  AS 


a  IHanual  ot  General  Information* 


BY 

S.  H.  KILLIKELLY. 


VOL  I. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
KEYSTONE  PUBLISHING  CO. 

1890. 


Copyright,  1886, 
By  S.  H.  KILLIKELLY 


TO  HER 

WHO  IS  THE  JOY  OF  MY  LIFE, 

Ml  fflatjjer, 

THIS  VOLUME  IS  LOVINGLY 
INSCRIBED. 


PREFACE. 


The  title  of  this  book  has  been  chosen  in  accord- 
ance with  Webster's  definition  of  the  term  curious; 
viz.,  "  eager  for  knowledge,"  " given  to  research,"  " ex- 
citing attention  or  inquiry." 

"  It  is  a  pity  a  gentleman  so  very  curious  after  things 
that  were  elegant  and  beautiful  should  not  have  been 
as  curious  as  to  their  origin,  their  uses,  and  their  nat- 
ural history." —  Woodward. 

"Wednesday  Afternoons  with  my  Literature  Class," 
would  perhaps  have  been  a  better  title,  and  one  requir- 
ing no  preface  ;  but  since  these  questions  have  formed 
the  most  interesting  feature  of  our  class,  and  are  the 
only  part  of  the  course  here  represented,  we  call  our 
book  "Curious  Questions."  I  say  "  our  book  ;  "  for  in 
association,  at  least,  it  is  the  joint  property  of  many 
successive  classes  of  young  friends,  who,  having  laid 
aside  the  text-books  of  school,  were  ready  and  eager  to 
enter  the  broader  fields  of  polite  literature. 

It  has  been  my  part  only  to  lead  the  way.  They 
have  been  apt  gleaners,  and  this  is  a  portion  of  what 
we  have  gathered. 


vi 


PREFACE. 


We  trust  that  owners  of  property  in  these  boundless 
fields  will  not  hold  us  guilty  of  trespass,  if,  in  our 
eagerness  after  the  things  sought,  we  have  overstepped 
forbidden  ground. 

We  claim  nothing  original ;  and  it  was  not  my  inten- 
tion, until  within  the  past  year,  to  put  this  result  of  our 
labor  in  print.  I  do  so  now  with  the  hope  that  it  may 
inspire  the  formation  of  similar  classes,  and  incite  the 
young  to  more  careful  reading  and  deeper  research,  as 
the  best  means  of  obtaining  general  information. 

It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  append  a  note  of  favor- 
able comment  from  Henry  Coppee,  LL.D.,  ex-presi- 
dent, and  now  Professor  of  English  Literature,  Lehigh 
University. 

SARAH  H.  KILLIKELLY. 


At  the  request  of  Miss  Killikelly,  I  have  reviewed 
these  questions  and  notes,  and  desire  to  express  my 
pleasure  and  satisfaction  at  the  able  manner  in  which 
she  has  accomplished  her  task.  She  explains  with 
clearness  many  things  in  history,  literature  and  art,  of 
which  the  young  pupil  is  ignorant,  and  which  it  costs 
pains  and  study  to  find  out.  She  makes  each  question 
a  nucleus  around  which  to  gather  much  valuable  infor- 
mation. 

I  heartily  recommend  the  volume  to  teachers  for  use 
in  classes,  and  also  as  a  basis  for  supplementary  lec- 
tures, and  the  solution  of  similar  problems. 


The  Lehigh  University. 


HENRY  COPPEE. 
vii 


LIST  OF  AUTHORITIES. 


The  following  authorities  have  been  used  in  compil- 
ing this  book,  and  may  be  consulted  by  those  wishing 
fuller  information  :  "  The  Reader's  Handbook,"  and 
"  Dictionary  of  Phrase  and  Fable,"  Dr.  Brewer;  "Hand- 
book of  Universal  Literature,"  Botta ;  the  works  of 
Augustus  J.  C.  Hare ;  "  Manual  of  Mythology,"  Mur- 
ray ;  "  Book  of  Days,"  Chambers  ;  "  History  of  Art," 
Liibke ;  "  History  of  Ancient  Art,"  Winckelmann ; 
"Life  of  Michael  Angelo,"  Grimm;  "The  World's 
Worship  in  Stone,"  "  Life  of  H.  W.  Longfellow,"  Un- 
derwood ;  "  The  Queen  of  the  Adriatic,"  Adams ; 
"Poets  and  Poetry  of  Europe,"  Longfellow;  Charlotte 
Yonge's  Histories ;  "  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman 
Empire,"  Gibbon  ;  "  Literature  of  the  South  of  Europe," 
Sismondi ;  "  The  Young  Folks'  Encyclopaedia,"  Cham- 
plin  ;  "  Mummies  and  Moslems,"  Warner  ;  "  Ten  Great 
Religions,"  Clarke  ;  "  Choice  Literature,"  Spofford  ; 
English  and  American  Encyclopaedias,  and  numerous 
works  of  history  and  travel. 

viii 


TABLE  OF  QUESTIONS. 


TO    THE  READER. 

As  the  articles  in  this  book  are  not  essays,  but  merely  answers  to 
questions,  it  is  very  desirable  that  the  following  direction  be  observed:  — 

Before  reading  any  article,  turn  to  this  Table,  and  read  carefully  the 
question  that  corresponds  in  number  with  the  article. 


1.  What  queen  was  crowned,  with  all  due  ceremony, 

after  her  death  ?    Page  i. 

2.  Who  was  the  real  prisoner  of  Chillon  ?    Page  3. 

3.  What  picture  is  called  the  "  first  picture  of  the 

world  "  ?    Page  6. 

4.  Why  do  members  of  the  English  Parliament  sit  with 

their  hats  on  ?  and  why  does  the  Lord  Chancellor 
of  England  sit  upon  a  woolsack  ?    Page  7. 

5.  In  what  war  were  half  a  million  of  women  engaged 

as  soldiers  ?    Page  7. 

6.  Who  are  the  "three  friends"  mentioned  in  Whittier's 

"  Tent  on  the  Beach  "  ?    Page  9. 

7.  In  honor  of  what  painting  did  a  king  rise,  and,  re- 

moving his  throne-chair,  exclaim,  "  Make  room  for 
the  immortal  Raphael  "  ?    Page  14. 

8.  What  gave  rise  to  the  custom  of  casting  a  shoe  after 

a  bride  ?    Page  15. 

ix 


X 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


9.  Of  what  nation  is  it  recorded  that  they  went  into 
battle  with  wooden  swords,  that  they  might  not 
kill  their  enemies  ?    Page  16. 

10.  What   ancient  document,  discovered  in  18 10,  if 

authentic,  is  the  most  important  legal  document 
in  the  world  ?    Page  1 7. 

11.  Who  found  Pliny's  doves?    Page  18. 

12.  What  is  amber,  and  where  is  it  found  ?    Page  19. 

13.  What  queen  was  compelled  to  drink  out  of  a  cup 

made  from  her  father's  skull  ?    Page  20. 

14.  What  poet  wrote  as  his  own  epitaph,  "  Here  lies 

one  whose  name  was  writ  in  water"  ?    Page  21. 

15.  What  is  the  Lion  of  Lucerne?    Page  21. 

16.  Did  Tom  Thumb  kill  Haydon  ?    Page  23. 

17.  Who  was  the  Great  Mogul  ?    Page  24. 

18.  Why  was  the  "  Passion  Play  "  at  Oberammergau  made 

an  exception  when  miracle-plays  were  suppressed  ? 
and  what  were  the  miracle-plays  ?    Page  25. 

19.  What  reason  have  we  for  supposing  that  any  true 

likeness  of  Christ  exists  ?    Page  26. 

20.  How  is  the  annual  inundation  of  the  Nile  accounted 

for?    Page  28. 

21.  What  noted  warrior  led  his  troops  into  battle  after 

his  death  ?    Page  30. 

22.  Who  was  the  original  "Rebecca,"  in  Sir  Walter 

Scott's  "  Ivanhoe  "  ?    Page  34. 

23.  What  is  the  Bayeux  Tapestry?    Page  35. 

24.  Who  said,  "Trifles  make  perfection,  and  perfection 

is  no  trifle  "  ?    Page  37. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS.  xi 

25.  What  was  the  last  battle  fought  upon  the  soil  of 

Great  Britain  ?    Page  37. 

26.  What  does  Tennyson  refer  to  in  "  Enid,"  when  he 

says,  "  Were  she  the  prize  of  bodily  force,  him- 
self beyond  the  rest  pushing  could  move  the 
chair  of  Idris  "  ?    Page  38. 

27.  What  is  the  legend  connected  with  the  Strasbourg 

clock?    Page  38. 

28.  Who  invented  "  Greek  fire  "  ?    Page  40. 

29.  What  man  of  note  was  carried  about  and  exhibited 

in  an  iron  cage  ?    Page  41. 

30.  What  is  the  "  Eikon  Basilike  "  ?    Page  42. 

31.  What  is  the  story  of  the  famous  picture  called 

"  The  Rope  of  Ocnus  "  ?    Page  44. 

32.  What  is  the  origin  of  lifting  the  hat  ?    Page  44. 

33.  Who  was  the  last  of  the  Incas  ?    Page  45. 

34.  Who  was  the  veiled  prophet  of  Khorassan  ?    Page  47. 

35.  What  are  the  six  famous  diamonds  of  the  world  ? 

Page  48. 

36.  What  is  meant  by  a  "Roland  for  an  Oliver"? 

Page  51. 

37.  Who  were  the  Buccaneers  ?    Page  53. 

38.  What  is  the  mystery  about  the  "  Letters  of  Ju- 

nius "  ?    Page  55. 

39.  What  is  the  Mona  Lisa  ?    Page  56. 

40.  What  is  the  origin  of  a  "feather  in  his  cap"? 

Page  57. 

41.  Who  was  the  only  Englishman  that  ever  became  a 

pope  ?    Page  57. 


xii  CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 

42.  What  is  the  legend  connected  with  the  tomb  of  the 

Emperor  Frederick  Barbarossa  ?    Page  58. 

43.  What  and  where  is  the  Golden  Temple  of  Umrit- 

seer  ?    Page  59. 

44.  What  instance  have  we  of  thirteen  being  a  lucky 

number  ?    Page  60. 

45.  What  emperor  sat  upon  his  throne  for  three  hun- 

dred and  fifty  years  ?    Page  61. 

46.  How  has  Victor  Hugo  estimated  certain  great  lit- 

erary men  ?    Page  62. 

47.  What  picture  is  called  the  "  second  great  picture  of 

the  world  "  ?    Page  65. 

48.  In  what  church  in  Europe  is  the  Roman-Catholic 

and  Protestant  service  held  at  the  same  time  ? 
Page  66. 

49.  What  beautiful  instance  of  devotion  is  recorded  of 

the  women  of  Weinsberg  ?    Page  67. 

50.  What  are  Ruskin's  "Seven  Lamps  of  Architec- 

ture "  ?    Page  68. 

51.  What  was  the  blind  man's  answer,  when  asked 

which  was  the  greater  art,  painting  or  sculpture  ? 

Page  69. 

52.  Of  whom  is  it  recorded,  "  He  never  said  a  foolish 

thing,  and  never  did  a  wise  one  "  ?    Page  70. 

53.  What  battle  is  called  the  "Battle  of  Nations"? 

Page  71. 

54.  What  was  the  object  aimed  at  and  accomplished  by 

Cervantes,  in  his  "Don  Quixote"  ?    Page  72. 

55.  What  is  the  most  costly  picture  in  the  world  ? 

Page  74. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS.  xiii 

56.  Who  was  the  "  Mentone  man  "  ?    Page  75. 

57-  Who  are  called  the  "  Spies  of  the  Czar  "  ?    Page  75. 

58.  Upon  what  old  custom  did*  Whittier  found  his  beau- 

tiful poem  of  "  Telling  the  Bees  "  ?    Page  77. 

59.  What  Huguenot  was  exempted  from  the  massacre 

of  St.  Bartholomew  by  Catherine  de'  Medici  ? 
Page  77. 

60.  What  is  the  origin  of  the  term  "  Brother  Jona- 

than "  ?    Page  79. 

61.  What  modern  king  and  queen  of  England  were 

elected  ?    Page  80. 

62.  What  is  the  plot  of  the  opera  "Lucrezia  Borgia"? 

Page  81. 

63.  Who  built  the  Great  Wall  of  China  ?    Page  83. 

64.  What  man  lost  his  life  for  writing  a  punning  epi- 

gram ?    Page  84. 

65.  What  man  stood  upon  a  pillar  for  more  than  thirty 

years  ?    Page  84. 

66.  Who  were  the  seven  sleepers  of  Ephesus  ?    Page  85. 

67.  What  is  the  history  of  the  two  marble  columns 

standing  in  St.  Mark's  Square,  Venice?   Page  86. 

68.  What  is  the  origin  of  the  term    "  pin-money "  ? 

Page  87. 

69.  Who  founded  the  Society  of  Jesuits  ?    Page  88. 

70.  Of  whom  was  it  written,  "There  is  a  tomb  in 

Arqua,  reared  in  air,  wherein  repose  the  bones 
of  Laura's  lover  "  ?    Page  89. 

71.  What  are  the  Elgin  Marbles  ?    Page  91. 


xiv  CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 

72.  How  does  the  motion  of  the  earth  differ  from  all 

artificial  motion  ?    Page  91. 

73.  What  woman  assumed  to  be  the    Holy  Ghost  ? 

Page  92. 

74.  What  poem  is  called  "The  Iliad   of  France"? 

Page  93. 

75.  What  work  of  art,  executed  in  Europe,  has  had  a 

special  building  erected  for  it  in  America  ? 
Page  94. 

76.  What  do  the  wax  figures  in  Westminster  Abbey 

represent  ?    Page  96. 

77.  What  are  Pasquinades  ?    Page  96. 

78.  Who  was  the  "  Old  Man  of  the  Mountain  "  ?   Page  97. 

79.  What  is  the  Taj  Mahal  ?    Page  98. 

80.  What  does  the  Harleian  Collection,  purchased  by 

the  British  Museum,  contain  ?    Page  99. 

81.  Why  is  a  chronic  grumbler  called  a  Momus  ? 

Page  100. 

82.  What  was  the  Carroccio  ?    Page  101. 

83.  What  is  the  origin  of  the  saying,  "  Robbing  Peter 

to  pay  Paul  "  ?    Page  102. 

84.  Who  were  the  Mamelukes  ?    Page  103. 

85.  What  is  the  supposed  secret  of  the  Fenian  oath? 

Page  103. 

86.  What  is  said  to  be  the  most  curious  book  in  the 

world  ?    Page  105. 

87.  What  painting  is  called  "the  third  picture  of  the 

world  "  ?    Page  106. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


XV 


88.  What  is  the  Key  of  Death  ?    Page  107. 

89.  How  long  did  the  city  of  Pompeii  remain  under- 

ground  ?    Page  107. 

90.  Who  was  the  original  of  "Jeanie  Deans,"  in  Sir 

Walter  Scott's  "Heart  of  Mid  -  Lothian  "  ? 
Page  109. 

91.  Of  what  doors  did  Michael  Angelo  say,  "  They 

are  worthy  to  be  the  Gates  of  Paradise "  ? 
Page  110. 

92.  What  is  the  origin  of  "  There's  many  a  slip  'twixt 

the  cup  and  the  lip  "  ?    Page  112. 

93.  Who  first  assumed  the  title  of  "  Czar  of  Russia"  ? 

Page  112. 

94.  Who  wrote  the  Koran  ?    Page  1 14. 

95.  What  is  a  Tope  ?    Page  115. 


96.  Who  was  the  Mary  who  "  had  a  little  lamb "  ?  \J 
Page  116. 

97.  Who  were  the  Maroons?    Page  117. 

98.  Who  was  the  "  Pennsylvania  Pilgrim  "  of  Whit- 

tier's  poem  ?    Page  118. 

99.  To  commemorate  what  event  was  the  Cathedral  of 

Moscow  erected  ?    Page  1 19. 

100.  Who  interpreted  the  Sphinx  riddle?    Page  120. 

101.  What  great  general  requested  that  his  heart  might 

be  buried  in  one  place,  and  his  body  in  another  ? 
Page  121. 

102.  What  is  the  plot  of  the  opera  "Lohengrin"? 

Page  123. 


xvi  CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 

103.  To  what  work  of  Raphael's  did  Michael  Angelo 

vow  that  he  would  put  a  stop  ?  and  how  did  he 
fulfil  his  vow  ?    Page  125. 

104.  What  verse  in  the  Bible  is  called  the  "  Neck- Verse," 

and  why  ?    Page  1 26. 

105.  To  commemorate  what  event  were  the  Marian 

Games  instituted?    Page  126. 

106.  Who  is  the  hero  of  "  The  Lusiad  "  ?    Page  128. 

107.  What  is  the  Kremlin?    Page  130. 

xo8.  Who  said,  "  If  the  nose  of  Cleopatra  had  been 
shorter,  the  whole  face  of  the  world  would  have 
been  different  "  ?    Page  131. 

109.  What  queen  married,  successively,  her  two  broth- 
ers, both  younger  than  herself  ?    Page  132. 

no.  What  serious  result  followed  the  revocation  of  the 
Edict  of  Nantes  ?    Page  1 34. 

in.  What  is  the  origin  of  "The  curtain  is  the  pic- 
ture "  ?    Page  135. 

112.  Who  said,  "There  is  no  royal  road  to  learning"  ? 

Page  136. 

113.  Who  gave  to  the  world  the  first  description  of 

China,  and  suffered  persecution  for  so  doing? 
Page  136. 

114.  What  is  the  plot  of  the  drama  "  Sakuntala "  ? 

Page  138. 

115.  When  did  the  "Bee"  become  the  insignia  of  the 

Napoleonic  dynasty  ?    Page  1 39. 

116.  In  what  trial  did  Chassanee,  the  celebrated  French 

jurist,  win  his  first  laurels  ?    Page  140. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS.  xvii 

117.  Why  was  the  last  King  of  France  called  the  "  King 

of  the  French  "  ?    Page  142. 

118.  Who  wrote  "The  Battle  of  the  Books,"  and  why? 

Page  143. 

119.  What  has  Ruskin  said  of  Tintoretto's  famous  pic- 

tures ?    Page  143. 

120.  Where  were  stones  manufactured  and  used  in  large 

quantities  ?    Page  145. 

121.  What  two  generals  were  buried  secretly,  and  what 

was  done  with  those  who  took  part  in  their 
interment  ?    Page  145. 

122.  Whose  is  the  greatest  name  in  German  literature? 

Page  146. 

123.  What  and  where  is  the  Burgh  Mousa  ?    Page  147. 

124.  What  kind  of  a  tub  did  Diogenes  live  in  ?   Page  148. 

125.  Who  were  the  Hohenstaufens  ?    Page  150. 

126.  What  is  the  legend  of  the  Golden  Cave?   Page  151. 

127.  What  are  the  Arundelian  Marbles?    Page  151. 

128.  Who  were  the  "  Clerks  of  the  Revels  "  ?   Page  153. 

129.  What  king  was  the  first,  second,  third,  and  fourth 

of  his  name  at  the  same  time  ?    Page  153. 

130.  Of  whom  was  it  said,  "  He  sat  in  his  easy-chair, 

and  was  for  twenty  years  the  oracle  of  the  lit- 
erary world"  ?    Page  155. 

131.  Where  did  Michael  Angelo  get  his  model  for  "La 

Pieta"?    Page  156. 

132.  What  is  the  history  of  the  "  Sunday  Stone  "  in  the 

British  Museum  ?    Page  157. 


xviii 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


133.  What  great  conqueror  was  overcome,  and  cruelly 

put  to  death,  by  a  woman  ?    Page  157. 

134.  In  Longfellow's  sonnet,  "  Three  Friends  of  Mine," 

who  were  the  three  friends  ?    Page  1 59. 

135.  What  is  called  the  eighth  wonder  of  the  world  ? 

Page  159. 

136.  What  are  the  Towers  of  Silence?    Page  161. 

137.  Who  were  the  Guelphs  and  Ghibellines  ?   Page  161. 

138.  What  is  the  distinction  between  the  terms  classic 

and  romantic  in  literature  ?    Page  162. 

139.  What  is  the  Bambino  ?    Page  163. 

140.  What  is  the  difference  between  a  joust  and  a  tour- 

nament ?    Page  164. 

141.  Who  were  the  Janizaries  ?    Page  165. 

142.  Upon  what  historical  facts  are  the  Iliad  and  Odys- 

sey founded  ?    Page  167. 

143.  What  miracle  is  said  to  have  put  a  stop  to  the  re- 

building of  the  Temple  of  Jerusalem  ?   Page  168. 

144.  Why  is  Pennsylvania  called  the  Keystone  State  ? 

Page  169. 

145.  Who  was  Zenobia?    Page  170. 

146.  What  is  to  be  understood  by  Sanskrit  literature  ? 

Page  172. 

147.  What  are  Choragic  monuments?    Page  172. 

148.  Who  were  the  seven  wise  men  of  Greece,  and  what 

were  their  mottoes  ?    Page  173. 

149.  What  man,  by  his  death,  put  an  end  to  the  gladia- 

torial combats  in  Rome?    Page  174. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


xix 


150.  What  is  the  plot  of  the  opera  "  La  Traviata "  ? 

Page  176. 

151.  What  are  considered  to  be  Michael  Angelo's  mas- 

terpieces ?    Page  178. 

152.  What  is  the  modern  invention  of  converting  light 

into  sound?    Page  179. 

153.  When  did  the  kings  and  nobles  of  Ireland  hold 

their  last  assembly  in  Tara's  Hall  ?    Page  180. 

154.  What  are  Utopian  schemes?    Page  181. 

155.  What  work  of  antique  art  in  the  British  Museum 

has  a  special  guardian  ?    Page  182. 

156.  Who  invented  the  method  of  chronology  now  in 

use;  viz.,  B.C.  and  A.D.  ?    Page  186. 

157.  Who  were  the  Amazons,  and  what  kingdoms  did 

they  found  ?    Page  187. 

158.  What  is  the  legend  of  the  Island  of  Seven  Cities  ? 

Page  188. 

159.  What  are  Kit-Cat  pictures?    Page  188. 

160.  What  great  man's  surname  has  become  an  epithet 

for  a  knave,  and  his  Christian  name  a  synonyme 
for  the  Devil  ?    Page  189. 

161.  What  queen  died  of  a  broken  heart  because  forci- 

bly refused  admission  to  the  king's  coronation  ? 
Page  190. 

162.  Who  are  the  heroes  of  the  Nibelungenlied,  the 

German  Iliad?    Page  191. 

163.  Who  built  the  Vatican  ?    Page  193. 

164.  What  are  the  relics  exhibited  every  seven  years  at 

Aix-la-Chapelle  ?    Page  194. 

165.  Who  was  the  real    Mother  Goose"  ?    Page  195. 


XX  CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 

166.  What  province  in  Turkey  has  never  been  con- 

quered, and  why?    Page  196. 

167.  Who  was  "  Hypatia,"  the  heroine  of  Kingsley's 

novel  ?    Page  196. 

168.  What  is  an  oratorio  ?    Page  197. 

169.  Who  was  it  that  said,  "Give  me  a  lever  long 
.  enough,  and  a  prop  strong  enough,  and  I  can 

move  the  world"  ?    Page  199. 

170.  Who  was  the  first,  and  who  was  the  last,  king  of 

Jerusalem  ?    Page  200. 

171.  What  sacred  books  in  other  religions  correspond 

to  the  Christian  Bible?    Page  201. 

172.  What  zxz  genre  pictures  ?    Page  202. 

173.  How  is  alchemy  said  to  have  ended  in  tragedy  in 

England,  and  in  comedy  in  Germany  ?    Page  203, 

174.  What  emperor  was  flayed  alive,  his  skin  stuffed, 

and  the  effigy  hung  up  in  a  foreign  temple  ? 
Page  208. 

175.  Who  wrote  Telemaque,  and  what  was  done  to  the 

author  ?    Page  208. 

176.  What  painter  and  sculptor  and  architect  have  beei> 

named  the  trio  of  modern  Greeks  ?    Page  209. 

177.  What  city  is  called  the  "City  of  the  Violated 

Treaty  "  ?    Page  211. 

178.  What  is  the  oldest  dynasty  now  reigning  in  Eu- 

rope ?    Page  211. 

179.  Who  left  half  told  the  story  of  Cambuscan  bold, 

and  who  finished  the  tale  ?    Page  212. 

180.  What  is  the  Laocoon  ?    Page  214. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS.  xxi 

i8z.  What  is  the  origin  of  "windfall,"  as  expressing 
good  luck  ?    Page  216. 

182.  Who  were  the  Maccabees?    Page  217. 

183.  Why  are  the  "  Buonarroti  Papers  "  withheld  from 

the  public  ?    Page  220. 

184.  What  monument  was  unconsciously  erected  by  a 

pagan  to  the  memory  of  a  Christian  martyr? 
Page  221. 

185.  When  did  the  crescent  become  the  ensign  of  the 

Mohammedans,  and  what  does  it  signify? 
Page  221. 

186.  Who  were  the  Lollards  ?    Page  222. 

187.  What  is  the  plot  of  the  opera  "II  Trovatore"? 

Page  223. 

188.  What  were  the  basilicas  ?    Page  224. 

189.  Who  received  the  bequest  left  "to  the  bravest 

man  in  England  "  ?    Page  225. 

190.  What  false  prophet  has  arisen  in  our  own  country, 

and  within  our  own  century  ?    Page  226. 

191.  What  is  the  epic  poem  of  Spain?    Page  229. 

192.  What  is  the  largest  statue  in  the  world  ?   Page  231. 

193.  Who  are  the  tutelary  deities  of  London  ?   Page  232. 

194.  Who  were  the  Mound-Builders  ?    Page  233. 

195.  Who  were  the  characters  referred  to  in  Tenny- 

son's "  Dream  of  Fair  Women  "  ?    Page  236. 

196.  What  is  the  history  of  the  Egyptian  obelisk  in 

Central  Park,  New  York  ?    Page  240. 

197.  What  bone  in  the  body  is  said  to  be  the  nucleus 

of  the  resurrection  body  ?    Page  242. 


XXll 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


198.  Whose  dying  words  were,  "I  have  loved  justice, 

and  hated  iniquity ;  therefore  I  die  an  exile  "  ? 
Page  243. 

199.  Who  was  the  original  Bluebeard  ?    Page  245. 

200.  What  is  the  highest  architectural  point  in  the 

world  ?    Page  247. 

201.  When  were  eleven  days  dropped  out  of  the  Eng- 

lish calendar,  to  make  the  year  agree  with  that 
of  Continental  countries?    Page  250. 

202.  Who  was  the  witch  of  Endor  ?    Page  252. 

203.  In  Whittier's  "  Snow-Bound,"  who  is  the  charac- 

ter introduced  as  "Another  guest  that  winter 
night  "  ?    Page  253. 

204.  Who  was  Lady  Hester  Stanhope  ?    Page  256. 

205.  What  is  a  clepsydra?    Page  258. 

206.  Of  what  statue  did  Pope  Clement  XIV.  say,  "  He 

would  speak  did  not  the  rule  of  his  order  for- 
bid "  ?    Page  261. 

207.  What  king  could  not  speak  the  language  of  the 

nation  over  which  he  ruled  ?    Page  261. 

208.  Who  is  the  author  of  "  To  err  is  human,  to  forgive 

divine  "  ?    Page  263. 

209.  When  was  heraldry  introduced   into   England  ? 

Page  265. 

210.  What  is  chloroform  ?    Page  266. 

211.  In  what  terrible  manner  was  the  last  Kaliph  put 

to  death  ?    Page  267. 

212.  Who  is  the  heroine  of  Spenser's  "  Faerie  Queene  "  ? 

Page  268. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS.  xxiii 

213.  What  is  reckoned  to  be  the  oldest  statue  in  the 

world  ?    Page  271. 

214.  How  many  lives  were  sacrificed  during  the  "  Reign 

of  Terror  "  in  France  ?    Page  272. 

215.  Who  was  the  author  of  "  God  save  the  King "  ? 

Page  274. 

216.  Whom  does  Byron  call  the  "  Last  of  Romans "  ? 

Page  274. 

217.  What  is  the  oldest  art?    Page  277. 

218.  What  is  the  festival  of   "Scouring  the  White 

Horse  "  ?    Page  279. 

219.  What  great  general  ordered  that  after  his  death 

his  skin  should  be  made  into  drumheads,  that 
he  might  still  lead  his  troops  against  his  ene- 
mies ?    Page  280. 

220.  To  whose  funeral  did  Lord  Tennyson  send  a 

wreath  inscribed  "  To  the  World's  Greatest 
Poet"?    Page  281. 

221.  What  is  meant  by  the  "Vocal  Memnon"  ?  Page  283. 

222.  What  is  the  Tenebrae  ?    Page  284. 

223.  When  was  the  week  made  to  consist  of  ten  days, 

that  Sunday  might  not  be  observed  ?   Page  285. 

224.  Who  are  the  real  characters  introduced  by  Dante 

in  his  "  Inferno  "  ?    Page  287. 

225.  When  did  the  custom  of  "The  Golden  Rose" 

originate  ?    Page  292. 

226.  Where  is  the  Rock  of  Refuge  ?    Page  292. 

227.  What  led  to  the  foundation  of  the  city  of  Venice  ? 

Page  293. 


xxiv  CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 

228.  Give    some    American    literary  pseudonymes. 

Page  294. 

229.  How  were  Madonnas  first  painted  ?    Page  295. 

230.  When  were  thimbles  invented  ?    Page  296. 

231.  Who  were  the  Moors?    Page  297. 

232.  What  is  the   legend   of  the  Wandering  Jew  ? 

Page  298. 

233.  Why  did  Michael  Angelo  paint  Sibyls  alternately 

with  Prophets  on  the  ceiling  of  the  Sistine 
Chapel  ?    Page  301. 

234.  What  wonder  in  the  age  of  Shakspeare  is  called 

the  "  Great  Bed  of  Ware  "  ?    Page  302. 

235.  In  what  way  is  the  wealth  of  Crcesus  accounted 

for  ?    Page  303. 

236.  From  what  poem  were  the  songs  of  the  gondoliers 

of  Venice  taken  for  over  two  hundred  years  ? 
Page  304. 

237.  Of  what  artist  did  Guido  say,  "The  fellow  mixes 

blood  with  his  colors  "  ?    Page  305. 

238.  Why  is  an  endless  task  said  to  be  like  "  Penelope's 

Web  "  ?    Page  307. 

239.  Who   called   England   "Perfidious  Albion"? 

Page  308. 

240.  What  is  the  most  important  of  all  inventions  ? 

Page  310. 

241.  Why  was  the  amphitheatre  at  Rome  called  the 

Colosseum?    Page  312. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS.  XXV 

242.  Who  destroyed  the  brazen  serpent  set  up  by- 

Moses  in  the  wilderness  ?    Page  313. 

243.  When   were   surnames    or   fixed  family  names 

adopted?    Page  314. 

244.  What  are  the  Eugubine  Tables?    Page  316. 

245.  Why  are  the  Ellora  Caves  important?    Page  317. 

246.  How  did  King  Nabis  extort  money  from  his  sub- 

jects ?    Page  318. 

247.  Why  is  the  Peace  of  Cambray  called  the  "  Ladies' 

Peace"  ?    Page  318. 

248.  What  authors  have  been  made  famous  by  one 

work  ?    Page  319. 

249.  What  gave  rise  to  the  Roman  School  of  Art  ? 

Page  320. 

250.  What  and  where  is  the  Sacro  Catino  ?    Page  320. 

251.  Who  was  the  last  of  the  astrologers  ?    Page  321. 

252.  What  are  the  Fasti  Capitolini  ?    Page  322. 

253.  What  is  considered  the  loveliest  face  in  antique 

sculpture  ?    Page  323. 

254.  When  was  Sunday  proclaimed  a  legal  day  of  rest  ? 

Page  324. 

255.  What  town  in  the  Old  World  was  captured  by  the 

United  States  ?    Page  325. 

256.  Who  are  the  heroes  of  the  great  Hindoo  epics,  the 

Ramayana  and  the  Mahabharata?    Page  326. 

257.  In  what  cathedral  are  the  columns  said  to  be  the 

largest  single  stones  which  the  hand  of  man  has 
cut,  rounded,  and  polished  ?    Page  327. 


XX vi  CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 

258.  How  are  aerolites,  or  meteoric  stones,  accounted 

for?    Page  328. 

259.  Where  do  the    bones  of    Columbus  now  rest  ? 

Page  329. 

260.  Why  did  Virgil  on  his  death-bed  wish  to  burn  the 

^Eneid  ?    Page  332. 

261.  What  discovery  was  the  result  of  a  wild  frolic  of 

English  sailors  in  Egypt?    Page  335. 

262.  Where  is  the  river  of  natural  ink,  and  how  is  it 

accounted  for  ?    Page  337. 

263.  What  was  the  cause  of  the  Franco-Prussian  war, 

and  how  did  it  benefit  Germany  ?    Page  339. 

264.  What  book  is  said  to  have  gone  through  more  edi- 

tions, and  to  have  been  translated  into  more 
languages,  than  any  book  except  our  Bible  ? 
Page  340. 

265.  What  became  of  the  Black  Rood  of  Scotland? 
•     Page  341. 

266.  What  king  came  to  the  throne  of  France  bearing 

five  coffins  in  his  train  ?    Page  344. 

267.  What  people  are  our  antipodes  in  manners  and 

customs  ?    Page  344. 

268.  Who  are  the   real    characters    in  Longfellow's 

"  Wayside  Inn  "  ?    Page  345. 

269.  What  is  the  subject  of  the  work  of  art  called  "The 

Farnese  Bull  "  ?    Page  349. 

270.  What  is  a  Pragmatic  Sanction  ?    Page  351. 

271.  What  ancestry  do  the  Afghans  claim  ?    Page  351. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS.  xxvii 

272.  Did  Michael  Angelo  paint  the  "Three  Fates"? 

Page  352. 

273.  What  does  Southey  mean  when  he  says,  "  I  have 

not  reared  the  Oriflamme  of  death  "  ?   Page  353. 

274.  Which  is  the  oldest  family  ?    Page  354. 

275.  What  is  the  origin  of  the  ring  in  the  marriage 

ceremony  ?    Page  356. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


i.    A  QUEEN  CROWNED  AFTER  DEATH. 

Inez  de  Castro,  queen  of  Pedro  I.  of  Portugal,  was 
the  near  relative  of  the  King  of  Portugal,  and  also  of 
the  King  of  Castile ;  but,  notwithstanding  her  royal 
descent,  she  consented  to  a  clandestine  marriage  with 
Don  Pedro,  whom,  for  political  reasons,  his  father  the 
king  had  already  contracted  in  marriage  to  a  Spanish 
princess.  She  was  married  to  Don  Pedro  on  the  1st  of 
January,  1347. 

Three  years  afterwards  she  was  murdered  by  assas- 
sins, instigated  to  the  act  by  her  father-in-law,  the  King 
of  Portugal.  When  Don  Pedro  heard  of  her  assassina- 
tion, he  was  beside  himself  with  grief  and  rage.  He 
desolated  with  the  sword  those  portions  of  his  father's 
realm  in  which  the  assassins  dwelt. 

Two  of  the  criminals  fell  into  his  hands,  and  were 
exposed  to  the  most  exquisite  torture  for  three  days 
and  nights,  after  which  their  hearts  were  torn  out  while 
the  victims  were  yet  living.  When  he  came  to  the 
throne,  shortly  after,  he  had  the  body  of  Inez  taken 
from  the  grave,  placed  upon  a  magnificent  throne, 
arrayed  in  robes  of  royalty,  and  crowned  "  Queen  of 


2 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Portugal."  The  court  was  then  summoned,  and  com- 
pelled to  do  her  homage  as  if  she  were  a  living  queen. 

One  fleshless  hand  held  the  sceptre  ;  and  the  other, 
the  orb  of  royalty.  The  night  after  the  coronation, 
there  was  a  grand  funeral  cortege  extending  for  many 
miles,  each  person  carrying  a  torch.  They  escorted 
the  crowned  queen,  as  she  lay  in  her  rich  robes  in  a 
chariot  drawn  by  black  mules,  to  the  royal  abbey  of 
Alcobaca  for  interment.  Her  monument  is  still  to  be 
seen  there,  with  Don  Pedro's  at  the  foot  of  it.  It  is 
said  that  Don  Pedro  lived  for  many  years,  a  cold, 
gloomy,  yet  merciful  ruler,  winning  the  title  of  "  Pedro 
the  Just." 

From  the  son  of  this  princess,  Don  Juan,  descends 
the  present  reigning  house  of  Portugal. 

An  attempt  made  by  Philip  II.  of  Spain  to  secure 
the  throne  of  Portugal  by  trying  to  prove  the  marriage 
of  Inez  illegal,  shows  clearly  the  political  reason  for  the 
posthumous  coronation  of  Inez  de  Castro,  beloved  wife 
of  Pedro  I.  of  Portugal. 

In  this  curious  story  may  be  discerned  the  essential 
difference  of  characteristics,  as  between  Spain  and 
Portugal.  Since  they  form  but  a  single  territory,  with 
the  rivers  Minho,  Douro,  and  Tagus  running  through 
them,  and  unseparated  by  mountain  ranges,  it  appears 
that  the  diversity  is  of  race.  When  the  Northern 
tribes  came  down  upon  Western  Rome,  the  Suevi  set- 
tled the  west  coast  of  Spain  ;  while  the  Vandals  and 
Alans  and  Goths  spread  over  the  rest  of  the  peninsula. 
The  Suevi  have  maintained  their  individuality  through 
all  the  intervening  years,  insomuch  that  the  Portuguese 
are  called  at  the  present  day  by  the  Spaniards  Sevasos, 
a  corruption  of  Suevi. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


3 


2.    THE  REAL  PRISONER  OF  CHILLON. 

"  Chillon  !  thy  prison  is  a  holy  place, 

And  thy  sad  floor  an  altar ;  for  'twas  trod, 

Until  his  steps  have  left  a  trace 

Worn,  as  if  thy  cold  pavement  were  a  sod, 

By  Bonnivard  !    May  none  those  marks  efface  ! 
For  they  appeal  from  tyranny  to  God." 

Byron. 

The  castle  of  Chillon  has  been  immortalized  by 
Byron's  beautiful  poem  of  "The  Prisoner  of  Chillon." 

It  is  situated  at  the  east  end  of  the  Lake  of  Geneva, 
Switzerland,  on  an  isolated  rock  almost  entirely  sur- 
rounded by  deep  water,  but  connected  with  the  shore 
by  a  wooden  bridge. 

"  Lake  Leman  lies  by  Chillon's  walls : 
A  thousand  feet  in  depth  below, 
Its  massy  waters  meet  and  flow." 

This  castle  was  built  in  the  ninth  century,  and  was 
altered  and  fortified  by  Amadeus  IV.,  Duke  of  Savoy, 
in  1238,  and  was  long  used  as  a  state  prison,  where, 
among  other  victims,  many  of  the  early  reformers  were 
immured.  The  castle  is  well  preserved,  and  is  extremely 
interesting  to  tourists.  The  prison-vaults  are  all  below 
the  surface  of  the  lake.  Such  of  these  vaults  as  are 
lighted  at  all  have  small  windows,  through  which  the 
sunlight  passes  by  reflection  from  the  surface  of  the  lake 
up  to  the  roof,  transmitting  also  partly  the  blue  color 
of  the  waters. 

The  dungeon  of  Bonnivard,  the  Swiss  patriot,  whose 
imprisonment  has  made  this  castle  one  of  the  shrines 
of  freedom,  consists  of  two  vaulted  aisles  ;  its  floor  and 
one  side  being  formed  by  the  solid  rock. 

In  one  of  the  pillars  is  a  ring,  to  which  Bonnivard 


4 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


was  chained  (1530-36) ;  and  the  stone  floor  at  its  base 
is  worn  by  his  constant  pacing  to  and  fro. 

When  Byron  wrote  his  poem,  either  he  had  in  view 
an  imaginary  captive,  or  else  the  true  history  of  the 
real  Bonnivard  was  unknown  to  him. 

Francois  Bonnivard,  the  real  prisoner,  had  no  broth- 
ers ;  and  none  of  his  name  died  in  the  castle. 

Byron  makes  him  one  of  six  brothers,  who,  with  their 
father,  laid  down  their  lives  upon  the  altar  of  freedom. 

"  We  were  seven  —  who  now  are  one, — 
Six  in  youth,  and  one  in  age, 
Finished  as  they  had  begun, 
Proud  of  persecution's  rage  : 
One  in  fire,  and  two  in  field, 
Their  belief  with  blood  have  sealed; 
Dying  as  their  father  died, 
For  the  God  their  foes  denied  : 
Three  were  in  a  dungeon  cast, 
Of  whom  this  wreck  is  left  the  last." 

The  true  Bonnivard  was  the  son  of  the  Lord  of  Lune  : 
when  he  was  but  sixteen  years  old,  he  inherited  from 
his  uncle  the  rich  priory  of  St.  Victor.  He  espoused 
the  cause  of  the  city  of  Geneva  against  Charles  V.  of 
Savoy,  who,  in  retaliation,  sequestered  his  estates,  and 
confined  him  for  two  years  in  the  castle  of  Grolee. 
When  he  regained  his  liberty,  he  took  up  arms  to 
recover  his  estate,  and  was  aided  in  this  effort  by  the 
city  of  Geneva.  The  Duke  of  Savoy  again  captured 
him,  and  sent  him  to  the  castle  of  Chillon,  where  he 
was  imprisoned  for  six  years. 

After  the  Reformation,  when  the  castle  was  taken  by 
the  Swiss,  he  was  set  free. 

"  It  might  be  months,  or  years,  or  days, 
I  kept  no  count,  —  I  took  no  note. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


5 


I  had  no  hope  my  eyes  to  raise, 
And  clear  them  of  their  dreary  mote. 

At  last  men  came  to  set  me  free : 
I  asked  not  why,  and  recked  not  where; 

It  was  at  length  the  same  to  me, 
Fettered  or  fetterless  to  be, 

I  learned  to  love  despair." 

He  had  left  Geneva  a  Catholic  state,  and  in  pos- 
session of  the  Duke  of  Savoy  :  he  found  it  on  his  return 
a  free  republic,  and  devoted  to  the  faith  of  the  Refor- 
mation. He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-five,  a  distin- 
guished citizen  of  the  republic.  Travellers  are  also 
shown,  in  this  castle,  the  chapel  where  the  dukes  of 
Savoy  attended  mass,  unmindful  of  the  victims  in  the 
vaults  below;  the  Potence,  a  beam  black  with  age,  to 
which  the  criminal  was  hanged ;  the  hole  in  the  wall 
through  which  his  body  was  thrust  into  the  lake ;  the 
torture-chamber,  in  which  stands  a  wooden  pillar  which 
still  bears  the  marks  of  the  hot  iron  ;  and  the  Oubliette, 
a  frightful  place,  into  which  prisoners  were  thrust  to  die. 

The  attendant  will  also  raise  a  trap-door  in  the  stone 
floor,  and  show  a  spiral  stairway  of  three  steps.  The 
prisoner  was  compelled  to  walk  down  these  steps,  and, 
failing  to  find  a  fourth,  was  hurled  eighty  feet  below 
into  a  pit,  where  he  fell  upon  sharp  knives,  and  was  left 
to  die.  "  It  is  by  this  castle  of  Chillon  also  that  Rous- 
seau has  fixed  the  catastrophe  of  his  '  Heloise,'  in  the 
rescue  of  one  of  her  children  by  Julie  from  the  water  ; 
the  shock  of  which,  and  the  illness  produced  by  the 
immersion,  is  the  cause  of  her  death." 

The  chateau  being  large,  and  its  walls  white,  it  can  be 
seen  for  a  long  distance  from  the  lake. 

The  lake  has  been  sounded  to  a  depth  of  eight  hun- 
dred feet,  French  measure. 


6 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


3.    FIRST  PICTURE  IN  THE  WORLD. 

"The  Transfiguration"  by  Raphael  is  called  the  first 
and  grandest  picture  in  the  world. 

It  was  originally  painted  by  order  of  Cardinal  Giulio 
de  Medici  (afterward  Clement  VII.),  Archbishop  of  Nar- 
bonne,  for  that  cathedral :  but  it  was  scarcely  finished 
when  Raphael  died ;  and  it  hung  over  his  bed  as  he  lay 
in  state,  and  it  was  carried  in  his  funeral  procession. 
Three  reasons  are  given  for  combining  in  one  the  two 
scenes,  that  of  the  Transfiguration  and  that  of  the  heal- 
ing of  the  demoniac  boy.  First,  it  was  in  accordance 
with  the  custom  of  the  day  to  paint  an  earthly  and  a 
heavenly  scene  on  one  canvas  ;  secondly,  an  historical 
reason,  because  the  Gospel  narrative  presents  the  two 
events  as  nearly  simultaneous  (St.  Matthew  xvii.) ; 
thirdly,  an  artistic  reason,  because  this  conjunction  gave 
the  painter  room  to  express  in  ideal  perfectness  the 
great  contrast  between  light  and  darkness,  human  suffer- 
ing and  divine  glory. 

In  looking  at  "The  Transfiguration,"  we  must  bear 
in  mind  that  it  is  not  an  historical,  but  a  devotional, 
picture.  On  the  right  side  of  the  Saviour  we  see 
Moses,  and  on  the  left  Elijah,  representing  the  law  and 
the  prophets,  both  of  which  testified  of  him. 

It  has  been  asked  who  are  the  two  figures  on  the  left 
side  of  the  upper  group.  The  two  are  St.  Laurence 
and  St.  Julian,  placed  there  at  the  request  of  Cardinal 
de  Medici ;  and  these  two  figures  commemorate  (in  a 
poetical  way,  not  unusual  at  the  time)  his  father  Lo- 
renzo, and  his  uncle  Giuliano  de  Medici. 

This  picture  was  carried  to  Paris  ;  and,  on  its  restora- 
tion to  Rome  by  the  French,  it  was  placed  in  the  Vatican, 
and  now  bears  the  title  of  "  The  Jewel  of  the  Vatican." 


THE   TRANSFIGURATION  — Raphael 
(Vatican,  Rome.) 

Curious  Questions.    Vol.  I ,  page  6. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


7 


4.    CURIOUS  CUSTOMS  IN  PARLIAMENT. 

During  the  reign  of  King  John  (1199),  the  king 
agreed  to  settle  the  difficulty  with  Philip  II.  of  France, 
respecting  the  Duchy  of  Normandy,  by  single  combat. 

John,  the  Earl  of  Ulster,  was  the  English  champion ; 
and,  as  soon  as  he  appeared  on  the  field  of  combat,  his 
adversary  put  spurs  to  his  horse,  and  fled,  leaving  him 
master  of  the  field. 

King  John  asked  the  earl  what  his  reward  should  be. 
He  replied,  "Titles  and  lands  I  want  not;  of  these  I 
have  enough  :  but,  in  remembrance  of  this  day,  I  beg  the 
boon  for  myself  and  successors,  to  remain  covered  in 
the  presence  of  your  Majesty  and  all  other  sovereigns 
of  this  realm."  The  request  was  granted,  and  has  never 
been  revoked,  which  accounts  for  the  odd  custom  in 
Parliament  of  members  wearing  their  hats.  During  the 
reign  of  Elizabeth  (1558)  an  act  of  Parliament  was 
passed  forbidding  the  exportation  of  wool ;  and  as  a  me- 
morial of  the  event,  and  to  impress  the  people  with  the 
national  importance  of  it,  as  well  as  to  keep  constantly 
in  their  minds  this  source  of  national  wealth,  sacks  of 
wool  were  placed  in  the  House  of  Lords,  on  which  the 
Judges  sat. 

The  Lord  Chancellor,  who  presides  over  the  House 
of  Lord's,  still  sits  upon  a  sack  of  wool,  over  which  is 
thrown  a  red  cloth.  To  be  appointed  "  High  Chancel- 
lor "  of  England  is  even  now  "  to  be  appointed  to  the 
wool-sack." 


5.    THE  TAE-PING  REBELLION. 

During  this  rebellion  in  China,  which  broke  out  in 
1850,  women  were  as  active  as  men  in  all  military  du- 
ties. 


8 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


In  Nankin  in  1853  nali:  a  million  of  women  from  va- 
rious parts  of  the  country  were  formed  into  brigades 
of  thirteen  thousand  each,  under  female  officers.  Of 
these,  ten  thousand  were  picked  women,  drilled  and 
garrisoned  in  the  city.  The  rest  were  compelled  to 
undergo  the  drudgery  of  digging  moats,  making  earth- 
works, erecting  batteries,  etc.  This  politico-religious 
rebellion  is  the  most  remarkable  of  recent  events  in 
China.  The  leader  of  the  rebellion,  Hungsewtseuen, 
having  been  led  by  the  perusal  of  some  Christian  tracts 
to  renounce  idolatry,  founded  a  society  called  "  God- 
Worshippers." 

In  1850  this  society  came  into  collision  with  the  im- 
perial authorities,  the  state  religion  of  China  being  the 
Confucian.  Hungsewtseuen  persuaded  himself  and  his 
followers  that  he  had  received  a  divine  commission  to 
uproot  idolatry,  and  establish  a  universal  peace. 

He  assumed  the  title  of  Tien-wang,  or  Heavenly 
Prince. 

His  followers  held  that  Tien-wang  was  the  Son  of 
God,  and  worshipped  him  accordingly. 

Polygamy  was  a  dark  feature  of  their  religious  sys- 
tem :  Tien-wang  had  thirty  wives.  With  immense 
armies  of  converts,  men  and  women,  he  laid  desolate 
some  of  the  best  cultivated  provinces  of  China. 

The  city  of  Nankin  was  held  by  them  until  1864, 
when  the  rebellion  was  finally  suppressed  by  the  gov- 
ernment, assisted  by  English,  French,  and  American 
officers. 

The  leader,  Hungsewtseuen,  perished  by  his  own 
hands  amid  the  blazing  ruins  of  the  palace  he  had  occu- 
pied for  eleven  years. 

Nankin  became  again  the  seat  of  the  Chinese  govern- 
ment. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


9 


The  recapture  of  Pekin  in  i860  by  the  English  and 
French  was  followed  by  a  treaty  which  granted  impor- 
tant privileges  to  European  merchants,  and  made  it  the 
direct  interest  of  the  English,  French,  and  American 
governments,  to  re-establish  order  in  China.  China  in 
art,  literature,  politics,  was  like  a  precocious  child.  It 
developed  early,  and  then  that  development  was 
arrested  ;  and  every  thing  has  gone  on  without  improve- 
ment for  centuries. 


[These  notes  upon  "  Tent  on  the  Beach "  have  been  kindly  approved  by  the 
author  of  the  poem.] 

6.    TENT  ON  THE  BEACH. 

"  When  heats  as  of  a  tropic  clime 

Burned  all  our  inland  valleys  through, 
Three  friends,  the  guests  of  summer  time, 

Pitched  their  white  tent  where  sea-winds  blew." 

Whittier. 

This  poem  was  written  in  1867. 
The  "three  friends"  are  James  T.  Fields,  Bayard 
,  Taylor,  and  Whittier  himself. 

"  They  rested  there,  escaped  a  while 
From  cares  that  wear  the  life  away, 
To  eat  the  lotus  of  the  Nile, 

And  drink  the  poppies  of  Cathay." 

The  "lotus"  is  an  Egyptian  plant  very  like  our 
water-lily.  It  is  fabled,  if  eaten,  to  make  one  forget 
his  native  country,  or  cease  to  desire  to  return  to  it : 
by  "lotus-eater"  is  meant  one  who  gives  himself  up 
to  pleasure-seeking. 

"In  the  afternoon  they  came  unto  a  land, 
In  which  it  seemed  always  afternoon." 


10 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS 


11  And  round  about  the  keel  with  faces  pale, 
Dark  faces  pale  against  that  rosy  flame, 
The  mild-eyed  melancholy  Lotus-eaters  came." 

"  Then  some  one  said,  '  We  will  return  no  more ; ! 
And  all  at  once  they  sang,  '  Our  island  home 
Is  far  beyond  the  wave  :  we  will  no  longer  roam.'  " 

Tennyson. 

"  Cathay  "  is  the  ancient  name  for  China. 

Opium  is  the  chief  ingredient  of  the  poppy,  which 
grows  luxuriantly  in  the  East  Indies,  and  is  largely 
imported  into  China :  it  is  a  narcotic,  and  makes  one 
insensible  to,  or  forgetful  of,  pain. 

"  One,  with  his  beard  scarce  silvered,  bore 
A  ready  credence  in  his  looks, 
A  lettered  magnate,  lording  o'er 
An  ever-widening  realm  of  books." 

James  T.  Fields,  A.M.,  is  referred  to  here  and  in  the 
next  two  verses. 

He  was  editor  of  "The  Atlantic  Monthly"  for  eight 
years,  was  a  poet,  essayist,  and  extensive  publisher.  ■ 
Few  men  have  exercised  a  more  important  influence 
over  American  literature.    He  was  born  in  New  Hamp- 
shire, 1 817,  died  in  Boston,  1881. 

"  In  him  brain-currents  near  and  far 
Converge  as  in  a  Leyden  jar : 
The  old,  dead  authors  throng  him  round  about, 
And  Elzevir's  gray  ghosts  from  leathern  graves  look  out. " 

The  "Leyden  jar"  is  used  to  store  electricity,  and 
is  so  named  because  the  first  one  was  made  in  Leyden, 
Holland. 

"  Elzevir "  is  the  name  of  a  celebrated  family  of 
printers  in  Holland.    They  published  an  edition  of  the 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


1 1 


Latin  classics,  bound  in  leather,  between  1 592-1626,  an 
edition  unrivaled  for  beauty  and  correctness. 

They  published  also  twelve  hundred  and  thirteen 
other  works  with  the  greatest  care.  For  more  than  a 
century  this  family  has  ceased  to  have  any  connection 
with  printing. 

"  He  knew  each  living  pundit  well." 

A  " pundit"  means  a  learned  man  or  woman. 

"  No  Rhadamantine  brow  of  doom, 
Bowed  the  dazed  pedant  from  his  room." 

Rhadamanthus  was  a  mythical  personage,  the  brother 
of  Minos.  So  great  was  his  reputation  for  justice  during 
his  life,  that  after  death  he  was  appointed  one  of  the 
three  judges  in  the  underworld,  the  other  two  being 
Minos  and  ^Eocus. 

A  "pedant"  is  one  who  makes  a  display  of  learning 
in  an  improper  manner. 

"  Pleasant  it  was  to  roam  about 

The  lettered  world  as  he  had  done, 
And  see  the  lords  of  song  without 

Their  singing  robes  and  garlands  on; 
With  Wordsworth  paddle  Rydal  mere, 
Taste  rugged  Elliott's  home-brewed  beer, 
And  with  the  ears  of  Rogers,  at  fourscore, 
Hear  Garrick's  buskined  tread  and  Walpole's  wit  once  more." 

William  "Wordsworth"  was  a  famous  English  poet 
born  in  1770,  died  in  1 850.  His  home  was  at  Rydal- 
mere,  a  lake  near  by. 

"Elliott"  was  a  poet  highly  praised  by  Carlyle,  en- 
gaged with  John  Bright  and  Richard  Cobden  in  the  re- 
peal of  the  English  Corn  Laws. 

«  Garrick  "  was  the  most  celebrated  actor  on  the  Eng- 
lish stage  from  17 16  to  1799. 


12 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


"  Walpole  "  was  an  English  statesman  from  1676  to 
1745. 

"And  one  there  was,  a  dreamer  born, 
Who,  with  a  mission  to  fulfil, 
Had  left  the  Muses'  haunts,  to  turn 
The  crank  of  an  opinion-mill." 

John  G.  Whittier  refers  to  himself  in  this  and  in  the 
three  succeeding  verses.  He  was  born  in  Haverhill, 
Mass.,  1807,  in  the  Society  of  Friends.  He  worked  on 
a  farm  in  his  youth.  In  1835  hj  was  elected  to  the 
Massachusetts  Legislature;  in  1836  appointed  sec- 
retary of  the  Antislavery  Society,  and  editor  of  the 
"  Pennsylvania  Freeman  "  in  Philadelphia;  in  1840  he 
removed  to  Amesbury,  Mass.,  where  he  still  resides. 
He  is  one  of  the  most  popular  poets  of  America. 

"  Too  quiet  seemed  the  man  to  ride 
The  winged  Hippogriff  Reform." 

"  Hippogriff,"  a  fabulous  animal  represented  as  a 
winged  horse,  with  the  head  of  a  griffin. 

"  And  one  whose  Arab  face  was  tanned 
By  tropic  sun  and  boreal  frost, 
So  travelled,  there  was  scarce  a  land 
Or  people  left  him  to  exhaust." 

Bayard  Taylor,  the  great  American  traveller  and 
statesman,  is  here  referred  to.  When  quite  a  young 
man  he  took  a  journey  through  Europe  on  foot.  On 
coming  home,  he  published  a  history  of  his  travels  in  a 
book  called  "Views  Afoot." 

He  afterwards  travelled  all  over  the  world,  and  pub- 
lished various  books  of  travels  ;  also  wrote  four  novels 
and  several  volumes  of  poems,  and  a  translation  of 
Goethe's  "  Faust."    He  was  sent  as  American  minister 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


to  Berlin  in  1877,  and  died  there,  Dec.  19,  1878,  aged 
about  fifty-three  years. 

"  His  memory  round  the  ransacked  earth 
On  Puck's  air-girdle  slid  at  ease." 

"Puck,"  the  same  as  Hobgoblin  or  Robin  Goodfellow, 
a  fairy  and  merry  wanderer. 

"  They  bore,  in  unrestrained  delight, 
The  motto  of  the  Garter's  Knight." 

This  refers  to  the  "  Order  of  the  Garter,"  instituted 
by  Edward  III.  of  England. 

"  Honi  soit  qui  mal  y  pense  "  ("  Evil  to  him  who  evil 
thinks  ")  is  the  motto  not  only  of  the  "  Garter  Knight," 
but  is  also  seen  on  the  royal  arms  of  Great  Britain. 

"  Careless  as  if  from  every  gazing  thing 
Hid  by  their  innocence,  as  Gyges  by  his  ring." 

"Gyges'  ring,"  according  to  Plato,  rendered  the  wearer 
invisible.  By  this  talisman  he  is  said  to  have  entered 
the  chamber  of  the  Lydian  King  Candaules,  unseen,  and 
to  have  murdered  him,  reigning  in  his  stead  from  716  to 
678  B.C. 

"  At  times  their  fishing-lines  they  plied, 
With  an  old  Triton  at  the  oar." 

"  Triton,"  a  son  of  Neptune,  is  represented  in  myth- 
ology as  a  fish  with  a  human  head.  It  is  to  this  sea-god 
that  the  roaring  of  the  ocean  is  attributed,  —  "  Triton 
blowing  through  his  shell." 

"  And  heard  the  ghosts  on  Haley's  Isle  complain." 

"  Haley's  Isle,"  one  of  the  group  called  the  Isles  of 
Shoals  off  the  coast  of  New  England:  the  crew  of  a 
wrecked  Spanish  vessel  were  buried  on  the  island. 

The  three  poems  introduced,  — The  Wreck  of  River- 


14 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


mouth,"  "The  Grave  by  the  Lake,"  and  "The  Brother  of 
Mercy,"  —  though  poetically  assigned  to  "the  guests," 
are  of  Whittier's  own  composition. 


7.    THE  "MADONNA  DI  SAN  SISTO." 

This  work  of  Raphael's  belongs  to  the  most  brilliant 
period  of  the  great  master.  According  to  Vasari,  it  was 
painted  in  15 18  for  the  high  altar  of  the  convent  of  the 
Benedictines  of  St.  Sixtus  at  Piacenza,  and  remained 
there  until  Augustus  III.,  Elector  of  Saxony,  and  King 
of  Poland,  resolved  to  purchase  it.  It  was  not  until 
twenty  years  later  (in  175  3),  that,  through  the  interven- 
tion of  the  painter  Carlo  Giovannini  of  Bologna,  it  was 
finally  purchased  for  the  Dresden  Gallery,  the  sum  of 
eight  thousand  pounds  being  paid  for  it.  The  sellers 
reserved  the  right  to  have  an  exact  copy  of  the  picture, 
which  should,  according  to  custom,  remain  in  the  place 
of  the  original,  and  continue  to  pass  for  it.  In  No- 
vember, 1753,  Giovannini  himself  bore  the  picture  to 
Dresden.  The  king,  impatient  to  see  again  this  long- 
desired  masterpiece,  ordered  it  to  be  immediately  un- 
packed and  displayed  in  the  castle.  When  it  was  carried 
into  the  throne-room,  they  hesitated  to  put  it  in  the 
most  favorable  place  in  regard  to  light,  for  that  was  ex- 
actly where  the  throne  stood.  The  king,  perceiving 
this,  hastily  drew  aside  the  throne-chair,  saying,  "  Make 
room  for  the  immortal  Raphael !  "  This  painting  has 
remained  ever  since  the  prized  masterpiece  of  the  Dres- 
den Gallery.  It  was  painted  in  15 18.  The  characters 
at  either  side  and  below  the  Madonna  are  Pope  Sixtus 
and  St.  Barbara.  The  two  cherubs  in  the  lower  part  of 
the  painting  are  known  as  "  Raphael's  Afterthoughts." 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


8.    ORIGIN  OF  CASTING  A  SHOE  AFTER  A  BRIDE. 

As  seen  from  paintings  on  the  walls  of  Thebes,  shoe- 
making  formed  a  distinct  trade  in  the  reign  of  Thothmes 
III.  (about  1600  B.C.).  Reference  is  made  in  Scripture 
to  different  symbolical  usages  in  connection  with  san- 
dals or  shoes. 

The  delivery  of  a  shoe  was  used  as  a  testimony  in 
transferring  a  possession.  A  man  plucked  off  his  shoe, 
and  gave  it  to  his  neighbor ;  and  this  was  a  testimony 
in  Israel. 

The  throwing  of  a  shoe  on  property  was  a  symbol  of 
new  ownership,  as,  "  Over  Edom  will  I  cast  out  my 
shoe  "  (Ps.  lx.  8). 

From  these  ancient  practices  came  the  old  customs 
in  England  and  Scotland  of  throwing  an  old  shoe  after 
a  bride  on  her  departure  for  a  new  home,  symbolizing 
that  the  parents  gave  up  all  right  or  dominion  over 
their  daughter. 

In  Anglo-Saxon  times  the  father  delivered  the  bride's 
shoe  to  the  bridegroom,  who  touched  her  on  the  head 
with  it,  to  show  his  authority. 

In  Turkey  the  bridegroom  after  marriage  is  chased 
by  the  wedding-guests,  and  pelted  with  slippers  by  way 
of  adieu. 

"  Whose  shoes  I  am  not  worthy  to  bear,"  means  not 
worthy  to  be  his  lowest  slave  ;  as  it  was  the  business  of 
the  slave  most  recently  purchased,  to  loose  and  carry 
his  master's  sandals. 

Among  the  ancient  Northmen,  when  a  man  adopted 
a  son,  the  person  adopted  put  on  the  shoes  of  the 
adopter. 

St.  Crispin  and  Crispinian  are  regarded  as  the  patron 
saints  of  shoemakers,  as  they  supported  themselves  at 


16 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


this  trade  while  preaching  the  gospel  through  Gaul  and 
Britain. 

Shoemaking  is  called  the  gentle  craft,  and  is  noted 
for  the  number  of  men  who  have  risen  from  it  to  emi- 
nence. 


9.    WOODEN  SWORDS  USED  IN  BATTLE. 

It  is  recorded  of  the  ancient  Mexicans,  that  they 
went  into  battle  with  wooden  swords,  that  they  might 
not  kill  their  enemies.  (See  Grimm's  "Life  of  Michael 
Angelo.") 

The  name  Mexico  is  derived  from  Mexitili,  the  tute- 
lary deity  of  the  Aztecs. 

There  is  no  authentic  history  of  Mexico  until  the  end 
of  the  sixth  century,  all  before  that  time  being  more  or 
less  mythological.  It  is  known,  that,  in  the  beginning 
of  the  seventh  century,  the  Toltecs,  a  race  of  people 
from  the  north,  descended  into  the  valley,  and  settled 
there. 

Little  is  known  of  the  history  of  the  Toltecs  except 
that  they  were  an  agricultural  people,  humane  and 
civilized,  and  proficient  in  the  mechanical  arts. 

They  seem  to  have  lived  quietly  for  about  five  hun- 
dred years,  when  civil  strife,  pestilence,  and  famine 
caused  large  numbers  to  emigrate. 

Those  remaining  intermarried  with  neighboring 
tribes :  they  were  all  finally  overcome  by  the  Aztecs, 
who  gave  their  name  to  the  whole  country  and  to  the 
civilization  of  their  day,  much  of  which,  however,  they 
really  received  from  the  Toltecs. 

The  Aztecs  were  a  fierce,  warlike  race ;  and  their  re- 
ligion was  the  most  bloodthirsty  the  world  has  ever 
known. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


17 


The  temples  of  their  gods  were  scattered  throughout 
the  land,  and  thousands  of  human  beings  were  sacri- 
ficed every  year  upon  their  altars. 

The  victims  were  mostly  prisoners-of-war ;  and,  in 
their  battles,  the  Aztecs  tried  to  kill  as  few  of  their 
enemies  as  possible,  that  they  might  have  the  more  to 
offer  in  sacrifice. 

In  the  years  preceding  the  Spanish  conquest,  from 
twenty  thousand  to  fifty  thousand  victims  were  annu- 
ally sacrificed. 

On  April  22,  15 19,  Hernan  Cortes  landed  at  Vera 
Cruz,  overthrew  the  Aztec  kingdom,  and  took  perma- 
nent possession  of  the  country  for  Spain.  The  story 
of  the  conquest  has  been  most  vividly  told  by  Prescott, 
and  is  the  foundation  of  a  novel  by  Lewis  Wallace, 
entitled  "The  Fair  God." 


10.    THE  DEATH-WARRANT  OF  JESUS.1 

Of  the  many  interesting  relics  and  fragments  brought 
to  light  by  the  persevering  researches  of  antiquarians, 
none  could  be  more  interesting  to  the  philanthropist 
and  believer  than  the  following,  to  Christians  the  most 
imposing  judicial  document  ever  recorded  in  human 
annals.    It  has  been  thus  faithfully  transcribed  :  — 

"Sentence  rendered  by  Pontius  Pilate,  acting  Governor  of 
Lower  Galilee,  stating  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  shall  suffer  death 
on  the  cross. 

"  In  the  year  seventeen  of  the  Emperor  Tiberius  Caesar,  and  the 
27th  day  of  March,  the  city  of  the  holy  Jerusalem  —  Annas  and 
Caiaphas  being  priests,  sacrificators  of  the  people  of  God  ;  Pontius 
Pilate,  Governor  of  Lower  Galilee,  sitting  in  the  presidential  chair 

1  See  Gleanings,  C.  C.  Bombaugh,  A.M.,  M.D. 


i8 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


of  the  prsetory  —  condemns  Jesus  of  Nazareth  to  die  on  the  cross 
between  two  thieves,  the  great  and  notorious  evidence  of  the  peo» 
pie  saying,  — 

"  i.  Jesus  is  a  seducer. 

"  2.  He  is  seditious. 

"  3.  He  is  the  enemy  of  the  law. 

"4.  He  calls  himself  falsely  the  Son  of  God. 

"  5.  He  calls  himself  falsely  the  King  of  Israel. 

"  6.  He  entered  into  the  temple,  followed  by  a  multitude  bearing 
palm-branches  in  their  hands. 

"  Orders  the  first  centurion,  Quilius  Cornelius,  to  lead  him  to 
the  place  of  execution.  Forbids  any  person  whomsoever,  either 
poor  or  rich,  to  oppose  the  death  of  Jesus  Christ. 

"The  witnesses  who  signed  the  condemnation  of  Jesus  are, — 

"  1.  Daniel  Robani,  a  Pharisee. 

"2.  Joannus  Robani. 

"  3.  Raphael  Robani. 

"  4.  Capet,  a  citizen. 

"Jesus  shall  go  out  of  the  city  of  Jerusalem  by  the  gate  of 
Struenus." 

The  foregoing  is  engraved  on  a  copper  plate,  on  the 
reverse  of  which  is  written,  "  A  similar  plate  is  sent  to 
each  tribe."  It  was  found  in  an  antique  marble  vase, 
while  excavating  in  the  .  ancient  city  of  Aquila,  in  the 
kingdom  of  Naples,  in  the  year  18 10,  and  was  discov- 
ered by  the  Commissioners  of  Arts  of  the  French  army. 
At  the  expedition  of  Naples,  it  was  enclosed  in  a  box  of 
ebony,  and  preserved  in  the  sacristy  of  the  Chartem. 
The  French  translation  was  made  by  the  Commissioners 
of  Arts.    The  original  is  in  the  Hebrew  language. 


11.    PLINY'S  DOVES. 

In  one  of  the  rooms  on  the  upper  floor  of  the  Mu- 
seum of  the  Capitol  at  Rome,  is  the  celebrated  mosaic 
described  by  Pliny,  and  from  his  description  called 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


19 


"Pliny's  Doves."  It  is  one  of  the  finest  and  most  per 
fectly  preserved  specimens  of  ancient  mosaic,  and  is 
formed  of  natural  stones  so  small  that  one  hundred  and 
sixty  pieces  cover  only  a  square  inch.  It  was  found  in 
Villa  Adriana,  in  1737,  by  Cardinal  Furietti,  from  whom 
it  was  purchased  by  Pope  Clement  XIII.  for  the  Cap- 
itoline  Museum. 

This  exquisite  specimen  of  mosaic  art  is  a  copy  of 
the  work  of  Sosus,  and  is  described  by  Pliny  as  a 
proof  of  the  perfection  to  which  that  art  had  arrived. 
He  says,  "  At  Pergamos  is  a  wonderful  specimen  of  a 
dove  drinking,  and  darkening  the  water  with  the  shadow 
of  her  head  :  on  the  lip  of  the  vessel  are  other  doves 
pluming  themselves."  It  was  found  set  as  a  centre- 
piece in  the  floor  of  a  room  which  was  laid  with  coarser 
mosaic :  around  it  was  a  stripe  of  flower-work  as  a 
border,  about  a  hand  in  breadth,  equally  fine  with  the 
centre-piece. 


12.  AMBER. 

Amber  is  the  name  of  a  fossil  gum  :  we  say  "  a  fossil 
gum  "  because  it  seems  to  be  the  remains  of  a  former 
age.  From  its  peculiar  qualities,  the  Romans  called  it 
electrum. 

This  gum  is  found  in  the  ground  ;  and,  as  it  seems  to 
be  a  crystallized  substance,  it  is  called  a  mineral. 

Amber  was  originally  generated  from  a  species  of 
pine  and  fir  tree,  just  as  turpentine  is  now  produced 
from  certain  pine  and  fir  trees  in  our  country. 

As  the  gum  oozed  out  of  the  trees,  it  flowed  down  to 
the  roots  of  the  trees,  where  it  lay  in  large  deposits. 

A  forest  undisturbed  for  centuries  would  produce 
extensive  fields  of  this  gum. 


20 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


The  excavations  and  explorations  around  the  Black 
Sea  reveal  the  fact  that  its  shores  were  covered  by  vast 
forests  of  pine  and  fir  trees,  and  that  centuries  ago  the 
forests  were  submerged  and  covered  up,  as  in  this  place 
amber  is  found  in  larger  quantities  than  elsewhere.  It 
is  used  largely  for  ornaments  worn  by  ladies,  and  for 
many  things  it  is  more  valuable  than  gold. 

Smokers  use  amber  as  mouthpieces  for  pipes,  and 
very  large  quantities  of  it  are  sent  to  China  to  be  made 
into  idols,  etc. 


13.    A  QUEEN  WHO  DRANK  FROM  A  CUP  MADE  OF 
A  HUMAN  SKULL. 

The  successors  of  Theodoric  in  the  Gothic  Kingdom 
of  Italy  were  seven  in  number. 

After  the  death  of  the  last  of  the  seven,  the  Goths 
were  subdued  by  Narses,  who  administered  the  govern- 
ment as  duke  until  A.D.  567.  He  was  recalled  by  the 
emperor  Justin  II. ;  and,  to  avenge  this  insult,  he  invited 
Alboin,  king  of  the  Lombards,  into  Italy. 

Alboin  penetrated  into  Italy,  and  was  proclaimed 
king  in  568. 

In  single  combat  he  killed  Cunimund,  king  of  the 
Gepidae,  a  German  tribe,  and  forced  Rosamond,  the 
daughter  of  the  murdered  king,  to  become  his  wife. 

He  then  had  a  wine-cup  made  of  the  skull  of  Cuni- 
mund, out  of  which  he  compelled  the  queen  to  drink. 

The  beautiful  Rosamond  dissembled  her  indignant 
feelings,  but,  waiting  her  opportunity,  appealed  to  two 
officers  for  revenge,  who,  being  admitted  by  her  to  the 
king's  apartment,  assassinated  him  as  he  lay  asleep. 

According  to  agreement,  Rosamond  fled  with  one  of 
the  assassins,  Helmichis,  to  Ravenna. 


TOMB  OF  THEODORIC  THE  GREAT. 

{Near  Ravenna,  Italy  } 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


2  I 


Afterward,  to  free  herself  from  the  power  of  HeL 
michis,  she  gave  him  a  cup  of  poison  to  drink ;  but  he, 
detecting  her  treachery,  drank  half  of  it,  and  compelled 
her  to  drink  the  other  half,  so  that  they  died  together. 


14.    THE  POET  WHOSE  NAME  WAS  "WRIT  IN  WATER." 

In  the  Protestant  cemetery  at  Rome,  there  is  a  grave 
with  this  inscription  :  "This  grave  contains  all  that  was 
mortal  of  a  young  English  poet,  who  on  his  deathbed, 
in  the  bitterness  of  his  heart  at  the  malicious  power  of 
his  enemies,  desired  these  words  to  be  engraved  on  his 
tombstone  :  *  Here  lies  one  whose  name  was  writ  in 
water.'  February  23,  182 1."  This  is  the  grave  of  John 
Keats,  aged  twenty-four  years,  born  in  London,  1795, 
died  at  Rome,  1821. 

He  published  his  first  volume  of  poems  in  18 17.  In 
the  following  year  appeared  "  Endymion,"  dedicated  to 
the  memory  of  Thomas  Chatterton.  This  work  was  so 
severely  handled  in  the  English  journals  of  the  day,  that 
he  left  England,  and  went  to  Italy.  His  later  poems 
place  him  among  the  masters  of  his  art,  especially  one 
entitled  "The  Eve  of  St.  Agnes." 
,  He  died  feeling  that  his  name  would  perish,  but  the 
influence  of  his  style  still  lives. 

It  is  said  that  Browning  "has  his  color  without  his 
melody,"  while  Tennyson  has  both  the  color  and  the 
melody  of  Keats. 


15.    THE  LION  OF  LUCERNE. 

One  of  the  chief  attractions  to  tourists  in  the  city  of 
Lucerne,  Switzerland,  is  the  figure  of  a  lion  hewn  out 
of  the  living  rock  on  the  side  of  a  high  cliff  which  bor 


22 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


ders  a  small  park  at  the  extremity  of  the  town  :  be- 
neath the  lion  is  a  small  sheet  of  water,  which  reflects 
it  with  the  clearness  of  a  mirror. 

The  lion  is  of  colossal  size,  wounded  to  death,  with 
a  spear  in  his  side,  yet  endeavoring  in  his  last  gasp  to 
protect  from  injury  a  shield  bearing  the  fleur-de-lis  of 
the  Bourbons,  which  he  holds  in  his  paw. 

The  design  was  furnished  by  the  great  sculptor  Thor- 
waldsen  ;  and  the  "  Lion  of  Lucerne  "  is  a  noble  monu- 
ment erected  to  the  memory  of  the  Swiss  Guard  who 
fell  in  defence  of  the  Tuileries  at  Paris,  on  the  memor- 
able ioth  of  August,  1792. 

Beneath  the  sculptured  lion  are  the  names  of  the 
officers  of  the  Swiss  Guard. 

When  the  revolutionary  mob  surrounded  the  Tuile- 
ries, the  National  Guard,  and  nine  hundred  men  com- 
posing the  Swiss  Guard,  were  in  charge  of  the  defence 
of  the  palace. 

The  king,  desiring  to  avoid  the  shedding  of  blood, 
would  not  allow  the  Guard  to  fire  upon  the  crowd,  but 
with  the  royal  family  fled  for  safety  to  the  hall  of  the 
National  Assembly.  The  Swiss  Guard  finding  it  im- 
possible to  keep  back  the  mob,  who  were  pressing  into 
the  palace,  at  length  fired,  killing  and  wounding  many 
of  them. 

The  rage  of  the  people  then  knew  no  bounds  ;  and, 
being  joined  by  the  National  Guard,  they  broke  into 
the  palace,  and  murdered  all  whom  they  found  in  it. 

This  affair  furnished  a  fresh  charge  against  the  king : 
the  Swiss  Guard  were  said  to  have  fired  by  his  orders, 
and  thus  the  king  was  accused  of  making  war  upon  his 
people. 

Seven  hundred  of  the  Swiss  Guard  were  massacred; 
and  the  king  and  royal  family  were  taken  prisoners,  and 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


23 


finally  executed.  Thus,  the  date  upon  the  "Lion  of 
Lucerne "  marks  not  only  the  massacre  of  the  Swiss 
Guard,  and  their  loyalty  to  the  Bourbons,  but  it  marks 
an  important  epoch  in  history,  —  the  day  upon  which 
Louis  XVI.,  King  of  France,  really  ceased  to  reign. 


16.    TOM  THUMB  AND  HAYDON. 

It  is  scarcely  an  exaggeration  to  say  that  poor  Hay- 
don,  the  historical  painter,  was  killed  by  Tom  Thumb. 
In  1846  Haydon  finished  one  of  his  six  large  historical 
pictures,  called  "The  Banishment  of  Aristides,"  by  the 
exhibition  of  which  he  hoped  to  relieve  himself  from 
debt.  He  engaged  a  room  for  the  purpose  in  the 
Egyptian  Hall,  London  ;  and,  very  shortly  after,  Gen. 
Tom  Thumb  came  to  London,  and  exhibited  himself 
under  the  same  roof. 

The  following  was  found  recorded  soon  afterwards  in 
Haydon's  diary:  "They  rush  by  thousands  to  see  Tom 
Thumb ;  they  see  my  bills,  but  do  not  read  them." 

Two  weeks  after,  he  made  his  record  in  a  few  bitter 
words  :  "In  one  week,  12,000  persons  have  paid  to  see 
Tom  Thumb,  while  only  133  have  paid  to  see  'Aris- 
tides.'" 

In  five  weeks  he  closed  his  exhibition  with  a  positive 
loss  of  more  than  a  hundred  pounds  ;  and  then,  in  the 
midst  of  poverty  and  misery,  he  made  his  last  entry : 
"  O  God  !  let  it  not  be  presumptuous  in  me  to  ask  thy 
blessing  on  my  six  works." 

He  was  found  one  morning  in  June  prostrate  before 
his  picture.  The  pistol  and  the  razor  had  ended  his 
troubles. 


24 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


17.    THE  GREAT  MOGUL. 

The  greatest  of  the  Mogul  emperors  of  India  was 
Akbar,  born  Oct.  14,  1542.  He  began  to  reign,  when  he 
was  twelve  years  old,  over  three  provinces  only;  but 
he  extended  his  empire  over  nearly  the  whole  of  India. 
He  showed  such  wisdom  in  ruling,  and  was  so  just  to 
all  in  his  decisions,  that  he  was  called  "the  Guardian 
of  Mankind."  His  court  at  Agra  was  very  magnificent. 
Many  buildings  of  his  time  are  still  to  be  seen  there, 
among  them  the  fortress,  within  the  walls  of  which  are 
the  palace  of  Shah  Jehan,  and. the  famous  Pearl  Mosque, 
so  called  on  account  of  its  wondrous  beauty.  Still  more 
noted  is  the  Taj  Mahal  (q.v.). 

The  real  name  of  Akbar  was  Jelal-ed-Deen ;  but, 
when  he  became  powerful,  he  was  called  Akbar,  which 
in  Arabic  means  very  great,  or  greatest ;  so  in  English 
he  became  known  as  the  Great  Mogul.  He  is  said  to 
have  kept  five  thousand  elephants,  twelve  thousand  sta- 
ble-horses, and  one  thousand  hunting-leopards.  Akbar 
died  in  1605,  and  was  buried  in  a  magnificent  mausoleum 
at  Sicandra  near  Agra,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son. 

In  1525  Baber,  a  descendant  of  the  great  Mogul  con- 
queror, Tamerlane,  invaded  Hindostan,  overthrew  the 
Afghan  dynasty  that  had  ruled  in  that  country  for  three 
centuries,  and  became  the  founder  of  a  dynasty  of  Mogul 
princes  which  ruled  Hindostan  for  more  than  two  cen- 
turies. The  religion  of  the  Moguls  was  Mohammedan  ; 
and  their  capital  was  the  city  of  Delhi,  in  Northern 
Hindostan. 

The  English  finally  conquered  the  Mogul  empire ; 
and  in  1858  the  last  Mogul  had  his  title  taken  from 
him  because  he  took  part  in  the  great  Indian  mutiny 
against  the  English. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


25 


18.    THE  MIRACLE-PLAYS. 

These  plays  were  founded  on  the  historical  parts  of 
the  Old  and  New  Testaments  and  on  the  lives  of  the 
saints.  They  were  performed  at  first  in  churches,  and 
afterwards  on  platforms  in  the  streets.  Their  design 
was  to  instruct  the  people  in  Bible  history;  but,  long  be- 
fore the  Reformation,  they  had  so  far  departed  from 
their  original  character  as  to  bring  contempt  upon  the 
Church  and  religion.  The  exhibition  of  a  single  play 
often  occupied  several  days.  The  earliest  recorded  mir- 
acle-play took  place  in  England  in  the  beginning  of  the 
twelfth  century ;  but  they  soon  became  popular  in 
France,  Germany,  Spain,  and  Italy. 

In  England  they  received  a  check  from  the  rise  of 
the  modern  drama,  yet  they  continued  to  be  performed 
during  the  reigns  of  James  I.  and  Charles  I. 

Milton's  first  sketch  of  his  "  Paradise  Lost"  was  a 
sacred  drama. 

In  Germany  these  plays,  with  one  exception,  were 
suppressed  in  the  year  1779. 

The  villagers  of  Oberammergau,  in  the  Bavarian 
highlands,  had,  upon  the  cessation  of  a  plague  in  1633, 
vowed  to  perform  "  The  Passion  of  Our  Saviour"  every 
tenth  year,  out  of  gratitude,  and  also  as  a  means  of  in- 
struction to  the  people,  —  a  vow  which  they  had  regu- 
larly observed. 

The  pleading  of  a  deputation  of  Oberammergau  peas- 
ants with  Maximilian  Joseph  of  Bavaria  saved  their  play 
from  the  general  condemnation. 

The  play  was  then  remodelled,  and  is  perhaps  the  only 
Mystery  or  Miracle  Play  that  survives  to  the  present 
day.  The  performance  of  it  lasts  for  eight  hours,  with 
an  intermission  of  one  hour  at  noon  ;  and,  though  occur- 


26 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


ring  only  once  in  a  decade,  it  is  repeated  on  several 
Sundays  in  succession  during  the  season.  The  char- 
acters in  the  play  number  about  five  hundred,  and,  from 
the  oldest  to  the  youngest,  are  exclusively  the  villagers 
of  Oberammergau.  The  personator  of  the  Saviour 
seems  to  regard  the  performance  of  his  part  as  an  act 
of  religious  worship  ;  and  the  other  important  actors  are 
said  to  be  selected  for  their  holy  life,  and  to  be  conse- 
crated to  their  work  with  prayer. 

The  New  Testament  is  strictly  adhered  to,  the  only 
legendary  addition  being  the  story  of  the  handkerchief 
of  St.  Veronica. 

The  acts  alternate  with  tableaux  from  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, and  with  choral  odes. 

Many  of  the  tableaux  vivants  are  perfect  copies  of 
celebrated  pictures,  as  "The  Last  Supper,"  "The  En- 
tombment," etc. 

Travellers  from  all  parts  of  the  world  flock  to  Ober- 
ammergau during  the  time  announced  for  its  represen- 
tation ;  and  very  many  Protestants  who  expect  to  be 
disagreeably  affected  by  the  Passion  Play,  find  it  not  at 
all  irreverent,  but  very  solemn  and  devotion-inspiring. 


19.    LIKENESSES  OF  CHRIST. 

"  In  1702  the  late  Rev.  H.  Rowlands,  author  of  'Mona 
Antiqua,'  while  superintending  the  removal  of  some 
stones  near  Aberfraw,  Wales,  for  the  purpose  of  making 
an  antiquarian  research,  found  a  beautiful  brass  medal 
of  our  Saviour,  in  a  fine  state  of  preservation,  which  he 
forwarded  to  his  friend  and  countryman,  the  Rev.  E. 
Llwyd,  author  of  the  '  Archaeologia  Britannica,'  and,  at 
the  time,  keeper  of  the  Ashmolean  Library  at  Oxford. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


*7 


"  This  medal  has  on  one  side  the  figure  of  a  head  ex- 
actly answering  the  description  given  by  Publius  Len- 
tulus  of  our  Saviour,  in  a  letter  sent  by  him  to  the  Em- 
peror Tiberius  and  the  senate  of  Rome.  On  the  reverse 
side  it  has  the  following  inscription,  written  in  Hebrew 
characters  :  — 

'"This  is  Jesus  Christ  the  Mediator,'  or  'Jesus  the 
great  Messias.' 

"Being  found  among  the  ruins  of  the  chief  Druids, 
resident  in  Anglesea,  it  is  not  improbable  that  the  curi- 
ous relic  belonged  to  some  Christian  connected  with 
Bran  the  Blessed,  who  was  one  of  the  hostages  of  Carac- 
tacus  at  Rome  from  A.D.  52  to  59,  at  which  time  the 
apostle  Paul  was  preaching  the  gospel  of  Christ  at  Rome. 
In  two  years  afterwards,  A.D.  61,  the  Roman  General 
Suetonius  extirpated  all  the  Druids  in  the  island. 

"The  following  is  a  translation  of  the  letter  referred 
to,  a  very  antique  copy  of  which  is  now  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  family  of  Kellie, — afterwards  Lord  Kellie, 
now  represented  by  the  Earl  of  Mar,  a  very  ancient 
Scotch  family,  —  taken  from  the  original  at  Rome  :  — 

"'There  hath  appeared  in  these  our  days,  a  man  of  great  virtue, 
named  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  yet  living  among  us,  and  of  the  Gen- 
tiles is  accepted  as  a  Prophet,  but  his  disciples  call  him  the  "  Son 
of  God."  He  raiseth  the  dead,  and  cures  all  manner  of  diseases ; 
a  man  of  stature  somewhat  tall  and  comely,  with  very  reverent  coun- 
tenance, such  as  the  beholders  both  love  and  fear;  his  hair  the  color 
of  chestnut,  full  ripe,  plain  to  his  ears,  whence  downwards  it  is 
more  Orient,  curling  and  waving  about  his  shoulders. 

'"In  the  midst  of  his  head  is  a  seam  or  a  partition  of  his  hair 
after  the  manner  of  the  Nazarites ;  his  forehead  plain  and  very 
delicate ;  his  face  without  spot  or  wrinkle,  beautified  with  a  most 
lovely  red ;  his  nose  and  mouth  so  formed  that  nothing  can  be  rep- 
rehended;  his  beard  thickish,  in  color  like  his  hair,  not  very  long 
but  forked;  his  look,  innocent  and  mature;  his  eyes,  gray,  clear 
and  quick.    In  reproving  he  is  terrible  ;  in  admonishing,  courte- 


28 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


ous,  and  fair  spoken  ;  pleasant  in  conversation,  mixed  with  gravity. 
It  cannot  be  remarked  that  any  one  saw  him  laugh,  but  many  have 
seen  him  weep.  In  proportion  of  body,  most  excellent ;  his  hands 
and  arms  most  delicate  to  behold.  In  speaking,  very  temperate, 
modest,  and  wise.  A  man,  for  his  singular  beauty,  surpassing  the 
children  of  men  ! ' 

"The  representation  of  this  sacred  person,  which  is  in 
the  Bodleian  Library,  somewhat  resembles  that  of  the 
print  of  this  medal,  when  compared  together.  It  was 
taken  from  a  likeness  engraved  in  agate,  and  sent  as  a 
•  present  from  the  sultan  for  the  release  of  his  brother, 
who  was  taken  prisoner. 

"There  is  a  well-executed  drawing  of  this  at  the 
Mostyn  Library,  much  worse  for  age." 

On  a  photograph  by  Messrs.  McClean  &  Co.,  London, 
is  printed  the  following:  — 

"  The  following  extract  in  proof  of  the  authenticity  of  the  above 
portrait  is  translated  from  the  Latin  contemporary  historians  of 
the  period.  '  The  only  true  likeness  of  our  Saviour,  taken  from  one 
cut  on  an  emerald  by  command  of  Tiberius  Caesar,  and  was  given 
from  the  Treasury  of  Constantinople  by  the  Emperor  of  the  Turks 
to  Pope  Innocent  VIII.  for  the  redemption  of  his  brother,  then  a 
captive  of  the  Christians.'  " 


20.    INUNDATION  OF  THE  NILE. 

The  fruitfulness  of  Egypt  is  caused  entirely  by  the 
annual  overflowing  of  the  Nile,  known  to  the  natives  as 
Hapi  Mu,  "the  genius  of  the  waters."  When  the  pe- 
riodical rains  of  the  tropics  have  swollen  the  water- 
source,  and  the  reservoirs  of  the  two  lakes  can  contain 
no  more,  the  stream  begins  to  rise,  and  continues  to 
swell  for  three  months,  from  the  middle  of  June  until 
the  middle  of  September.    When  July  comes,  the  river 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


29 


has  already  overflowed  its  shores.  In  August,  when  it 
has  nearly  reached  its  highest  point,  about  twenty-five 
feet  above  its  normal  height,  the  dams  are  opened,  and 
the  overflow  of  the  stream  is  carried  into  the  canals, 
with  which  human  industry  had,  even  in  ancient  times, 
intersected  the  country,  that  the  water  may  be  carried 
to  distant  localities.  The  Lower  Nile  for  six  hundred 
miles  has  scarcely  a  single  tributary  rivulet.  At  this 
time  the  country  has  the  appearance  of  a  lake,  the 
towns  and  hilly  spots  appearing  like  so  many  islands. 

Numerous  boats  are  in  use  during  the  flood ;  and  the 
whole  population,  festively  adorned,  celebrate  the  joyful 
time  with  delight.  Egypt  has  been  well  called  "  the 
gift  of  the  Nile." 

When  the  tropical  rains  are  over,  the  stream  returns 
gradually  to  its  proper  level,  leaving  behind  it  every- 
where, in  the  shape  of  slimy  mud,  the  fertilizing  soil  it 
has  swept  down  from  the  mountain  regions.  In  Octo- 
ber the  land  dries,  seed  is  planted,  and  quickly  the  green 
shoots  give  the  country  the  appearance  of  a  garden. 

The  time  of  growth  lasts  until  the  end  of  February  : 
in  March  the  harvest  is  reaped. 

Then  follow  three  months  of  drought,  during  which 
the  Nile  is  at  its  lowest  level ;  and  each  year  the  life- 
giving  stream  begins  its  course  anew  in  the  month  of 
June. 

It  is  only  very  lately  that  full  light  has  been  thrown, 
by  the  expeditions  of  Speke  and  Baker,  upon  the  true 
source  of  the  Nile  and  the  cause  of  its  annual  overflow. 
It  is  the  efflux  of  two  large  lakes  situated  in  a  high 
table-land  near  the  equator,  called  the  Victoria  Nyanza 
and  the  Albert  Nyanza.  The.  waters  of  both  lakes  rise 
during  the  rainy  season  above  their  banks,  and,  pass' 
ing  northward,  finally  unite  to  form  the  Nile. 


3Q 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


The  high-lying  country  on  the  Victoria  Nyanza, 
whence  the  Nile  obtains  its  chief  tributaries,  is  one  of 
the  most  picturesque  and  salubrious  localities  in  the 
world,  and  must  before  long  be  opened  to  Western 
civilization  and  development. 


21.    A  NOTED  WARRIOR  WHO   LED   HIS   TROOPS  INTO 
BATTLE  AFTER  HIS  DEATH. 

The  history  of  Roderigo  Diaz  the  Cid  Campeador  (or 
"  Lord  Champion  "),  the  noted  Spanish  warrior,  is  so 
intermingled  with  fable,  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
sift  out  the  truth. 

One  of  the  oldest  poems  in  the  Spanish  language,  the 
epic  "  Poem  of  the  Cid  "  (q.v.),  gives  a  long  account 
of  him,  and  of  his  battles  against  the  Moors. 

From  this  poem,  and  other  Spanish  works,  Southey 
translated  and  compiled  his  "  Chronicle  of  the  Cid." 

The  Cid  is  supposed  to  have  been  born  about  the 
year  1026,  and  to  have  died  at  Valencia,  1099.  His  real 
name  was  Ruy  or  Rodrigo  Diaz  :  but  he  was  sue  h  a 
terror  to  the  Moors,  and  seemed  so  superior  tc  all 
others,  that  they  called  him  El  Seid  (Arabic  for  the 
Lord)  ;  and  he  was  finally  called  Cid  Campeador  (Lord 
Champion). 

In  the  eleventh  book  of  the  "  Chronicle  of  the  Cid," 
Southey  relates  that  after  the  Cid  had  won  Valencia 
from  the  Moors,  and  had  held  possession  of  it  for  five 
years  (during  which  time  the  Moors  and  Christians  had 
lived  peaceably  together),  tidings  reached  him  that  King 
Bucar  of  Morocco,  whom  he  had  conquered,  was  coming 
to  take  his  revenge  with  thirty-six  Moorish  kings  and 
an  army  so  great  that  it  could  not  be  numbered. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


3i 


The  Cid  at  once  began  to  devise  measures  for  with- 
standing this  great  force  :  his  first  act  was  to  banish  the 
Moors  from  Valencia  until  the  result  of  the  invasion 
should  be  known.  The  same  night  he  had  a  vision,  in 
which  St.  Peter  appeared  to  him,  saying,  "  Sleepest  thou, 
Rodrigo,  or  what  art  thou  doing  ?  "  And  the  Cid  made 
answer,  "What  man  art  thou  who  askest  me?"  And  he 
said,  "  I  am  St.  Peter,  the  Prince  of  the  apostles,  who 
come  unto  thee  with  more  urgent  tidings  than  those  for 
which  thou  art  taking  thought  concerning  King  Bucar ; 
and  it  is,  that  thou  art  to  leave  this  world,  and  go  to 
that  which  hath  no  end  ;  and  this  will  be  in  thirty  days. 
But  God  will  show  favor  unto  thee,  so  that  thy  people 
shall  discomfort  King  Bucar,  and  thou,  being  dead,  shalt 
win  this  battle."  .  .  . 

This  vision  had  great  effect  upon  the  Cid;  and  he  was 
"as  certain  that  all  this  would  come  to  pass,  as  if  it 
were  already  over."  So  great  was  his  faith,  that,  on 
the  twenty-ninth  day,  he  assembled  his  people,  and 
spoke  to  them  as  follows  :  "  Ye  know  that  King  Bucar 
will  presently  be  here  to  besiege  this  city,  with  seven 
and  thirty  kings  whom  he  bringeth  with  him,  and  with 
a  mighty  power  of  Moors.  Now,  therefore,  the  first 
thing  which  ye  do  after  I  am  departed,  wash  my  body 
with  rose-water  many  times  and  well.  And  when  it 
has  been  well  washed  and  made  clean,  ye  shall  dry  it 
well,  and  anoint  it  with  myrrh  and  balsam,  from  these 
golden  caskets,  from  head  to  foot,  so  that  every  part 
shall  be  anointed,  till  none  be  left.  And  you,  Dona 
Ximena,  and  your  women,  see  that  ye  utter  no  cries, 
neither  make  any  lamentation  for  me,  that  the  Moors 
may  not  know  of  my  death.  And  when  the  day  shall 
come  in  which  King  Bucar  arrives,  order  all  the  people 
of  Valencia  to  go  upon  the  walls,  and  sound  your 


32 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


trumpets  and  tambours,  and  make  the  greatest  re- 
joicings that  ye  can.  And  when  ye  would  set  out  for 
„  Castille,  let  all  the  people  know  in  secret,  that  they 
make  themselves  ready,  and  take  with  them  all  that 
they  have,  so  that  none  of  the  Moors  in  the  suburb 
may  know  thereof ;  for  certes  ye  cannot  keep  the  city, 
neither  abide  therein  after  my  death.  .  .  .  Then  saddle 
ye  my  horse  Bavieca,  and  arm  him  well ;  and  ye  shall 
apparel  my  body  full  seemlily,  and  place  me  upon  the 
horse,  and  fasten  and  tie  me  thereon  so  that  it  cannot 
fall ;  and  fasten  my  sword  Tizona  in  my  hand.  And  let 
the  Bishop  Don  Hieronymo  go  on  one  side  of  me,  and 
my  trusty  Gil  Diaz  on  the  other,  and  he  shall  lead  my 
horse.  You,  Pero  Bermudez,  shall  bear  my  banner,  as 
you  were  wont  to  bear  it ;  and  you,  Alvar  Fanez,  my 
cousin,  gather  your  company  together,  and  put  your  host 
in  order  as  you  are  wont  to  do.  And  go  ye  forth  and 
fight  with  King  Bucar,  for  be  ye  certain  and  doubt  not 
that  ye  shall  win  this  battle :  God  hath  granted  me 
this." 

According  to  "The  Chronicle,"  the  Cid,  having  ap- 
pointed what  should  be  done  after  his  death,  on  the 
morning  of  the  thirtieth  day  made  his  testament,  re- 
ceived the  sacrament,  "yielded  up  his  soul,  which  was 
pure  and  without  spot,  to  God,  on  that  Sunday  which 
is  called  Ouinquagesima,  being  the  twenty  and  ninth  of 
May,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  and  ninety 
and  nine,  and  in  the  seventy  and  third  year  of  his  life." 

Three  days  after  the  death  of  the  Cid,  King  Bucar 
and  his  countless  host  of  Moors  arrived,  and  encamped 
in  "fifteen  thousand  tents"  about  Valencia.  While 
they  were  busy  preparing  bastilles  and  engines  where- 
with to  combat  the  city,  the  Christians  were  preparing 
to  carry  out  the  directions  of  the  Cid.    Gil  Diaz  had 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


33 


embalmed  the  body,  and  placed  it  in  a  frame  upon  the 
saddle.  On  the  twelfth  day  after  his  death,  when  all 
else  was  in  readiness,  "  The  Chronicle  "  goes  on  to  re- 
late, "  they  took  the  body  of  the  Cid,  fastened  to  the 
saddle  as  it  was,  upon  his  horse  Bavieca,  and  fastened 
the  saddle  well ;  and  the  body  sate  so  upright  and  well 
it  seemed  as  if  he  was  alive ;  .  .  .  and  his  shield  was 
hung  round  his  neck,  and  they  placed  the  sword  Tizona 
in  his  hand,  and  they  raised  his  arm,  and  fastened  it  up 
so  subtilly  that  it  was  a  marvel  to  see  how  upright  he 
held  his  sword.  And  when  all  this  had  been  made 
ready,  they  went  out  from  Valencia  at  midnight,  through 
the  gate  Roseros  which  is  towards  Castille.  Pero  Ber- 
mudez  went  first  with  the  banner  of  the  Cid,  and  with 
him  five  hundred  knights  who  guarded  it,  all  well  ap- 
pointed. And  after  these  came  all  the  baggage.  Then 
came  the  body  of  the  Cid  with  an  hundred  knights, 
all  chosen  men,  and  behind  them  Dona  Ximena  with  all 
her  company,  and  six  hundred  knights  in  the  rear. 
All  these  went  out  so  silently,  and  with  such  a  meas- 
ured pace,  that  it  seemed  as  if  there  were  only  a  score. 
And  by  the  time  that  they  had  all  gone  out  it  was 
broad  day.  .  .  .  Now  Alvar  Fanez  Minaya  had  set  the 
host  in  order,  and  attacked  the  tents  which  lay  nearest 
the  city  ;  and  this  onset  was  so  sudden,  that  they  killed 
full  a  hundred  and  fifty  Moors  before  they  had  time  to 
take  arms ;  .  .  .  and  so  great  was  the  uproar  and  con- 
fusion, that  few  there  were  who  took  arms,  but  instead 
thereof  turned  their  backs  and  fled  towards  the  sea. 
And  when  King  Bucar  and  his  kings  saw  this  they  were 
astonished.  And  it  seemed  to  them  that  there  came 
against  them  on  the  part  of  the  Christians  full  seventy 
thousand  knights,  all  as  white  as  snow :  and  before 
them  a  Knight  of  great  stature  upon  a  white  horse  with 


34 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


a  bloody  cross,  who  bore  in  one  hand  a  white  banner, 
and  in  the  other  a  sword  which  seemed  to  be  of  fire, 
and  he  made  a  great  mortality  among  the  Moors  who 
were  flying.  And  King  Bucar  and  the  other  kings  were 
so  greatly  dismayed  that  they  never  checked  the  reins 
till  they  had  ridden  into  the  sea ;  and  the  company  of 
the  Cid  rode  after  them,  smiting  and  slaying  and  giving 
no  respite ;  and  they  smote  down  so  many  that  it  was 
marvellous,  for  the  Moors  did  not  turn  their  heads  to 
defend  themselves.  And  when  they  came  to  the  sea, 
so  great  was  the  press  among  them  to  get  to  the  ships, 
that  more  than  ten  thousand  died  in  the  water.  And 
of  the  six  and  thirty  kings,  twenty  and  two  were  slain. 
And  King  Bucar  and  they  who  escaped  with  him  hoisted 
sails  and  went  their  way,  and  never  more  turned  their 
heads.  .  .  .  And  so  great  was  the  spoil  of  that  day, 
that  .  .  .  the  poorest  man  among  the  Christians  be- 
came rich.  .  .  .  And  when  they  were  all  met  together, 
they  took  the  road  towards  Castille."  Thus  was  ful- 
filled the  prophecy  of  the  Vision, — "Thou  being  dead 
shalt  win  this  battle." 


22.    THE  "REBECCA"  OF  IVANHOE. 

Sir  Walter  Scott's  model  for  this  character  was  a 
young  lady,  Rebecca  Gratz  by  name,  of  an  honorable 
Jewish  family  of  Philadelphia. 

She  was  born  on  the  4th  of  March,  1781,  and  in  her 
younger  days,  and  even  beyond  middle  life,  possessed 
singular  beauty.  She  was  noted  for  her  benevolent  and 
charitable  life,  and  for  her  devotion  to  the  Jewish  faith. 

One  of  the  most  intimate  friends  of  her  family  was 
Washington  Irving  ;  and  it  is  through  him  that  her 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


35 


goodness,  and  steadfast  devotion  to  the  religion  of  her 
forefathers,  have  been  handed  down  to  us  in  the  hero- 
ine of  Scott's  beautiful  novel. 

It  was  in  the  fall  of  iSiy  that  Scott  and  Irving  met 
for  the  first  time.  With  a  letter  of  introduction  from 
the  poet  Campbell,  who  was  aware  of  Scott's  high 
estimate  of  Irving's  genius,  the  latter  visited  Abbots- 
ford,  and  there  spent  several  of  the  most  delightful  days 
of  his  life. 

During  one  of  their  many  conversations,  Irving  spoke 
of  his  friend  Rebecca  Gratz  of  Philadelphia,  described 
her  wonderful  beauty,  and  related  the  story  of  her  firm 
adherence  to  her  religious  faith. 

Scott  was  deeply  interested  and  impressed,  and  con- 
ceived the  plan  of  embodying  a  character  like  hers  in 
one  of  his  novels.  Shortly  after  this  he  wrote  "  Ivan- 
hoe,"  and  named  his  heroine  "  Rebecca."  When  the 
book  was  published,  in  December,  1 8 19,  he  immediately 
sent  the  first  copy  to  Irving ;  and  in  the  letter  accom- 
panying it  he  asked,  "  How  do  you  like  your  Rebecca  ? 
Does  the  Rebecca  I  have  pictured  compare  well  with 
the  pattern  given  ?  " 

After  living  a  noble  life,  Miss  Gratz  died  on  the 
twenty-seventh  day  of  August,  1869,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-eight. 


23.    THE  BAYEUX  TAPESTRY. 

This  celebrated  antique  tapestry  —  called  Bayeux 
from  the  place  where  it  is  preserved  —  is  a  pictorial  his- 
tory on  canvas,  more  minute  in  some  particulars  than 
the  written  history,  of  the  invasion  and  conquest  of 
England  by  the  Normans  in  1066. 

Tradition  asserts  it  to  be  the  work  of  Matilda  —  wife 


36 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


of  William  the  Conqueror  —  and  the  ladies  of  her  court, 
and  to  have  been  presented  by  the  queen  to  the  cathe- 
dral of  Bayeux,  Normandy,  as  a  token  of  her  apprecia- 
tion of  the  assistance  which  its  bishop,  Odo,  rendered 
to  her  husband  at  the  battle  of  Hastings. 

This  tapestry  is  a  web  of  canvas  or  linen  cloth  two 
hundred  and  fourteen  feet  long  by  twenty  inches  wide  : 
upon  it  the  history  of  "  The  Conquest "  is  worked  in 
woollen  thread  of  various  colors.  It  was  annually  ex- 
hibited on  St.  John's  Day,  around  the  nave  of  the 
church. 

When  Napoleon  contemplated  the  invasion  of  Eng- 
land in  1803,  he  caused  this  record  to  be  removed  to 
Paris,  and  exhibited  in  the  National  Museum,  after 
which  it  was  returned  to  Bayeux. 

The  exhibition  of  this  tapestry  in  the  National  Mu- 
seum awakened  public  curiosity  concerning  it,  and  the 
truth  of  the  tradition  was  then  established.  The  tap- 
estry is  divided  into  seventy-two  distinct  compartments, 
each  representing  one  particular  historical  occurrence, 
and  bearing  an  explanatory  Latin  inscription. 

According  to  Mr.  Bruce,  the  latest  authority  on  the 
subject,  the  tapestry  contains,  besides,  the  figures  of 
505  various  quadrupeds,  birds,  sphinxes,  etc.,  the  figures 
of  623  men,  202  horses,  55  dogs,  37  buildings,  41  ships 
and  boats,  and  49  trees  —  in  all,  1,512  figures,  and  only 
three  women.  The  Bayeux  Tapestry  would  have  been 
destroyed  during  the  French  Revolution,  had  not  a 
priest  succeeded  in  concealing  it  from  the  mob,  who 
demanded  it  as  covering  for  their  guns. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


37 


24.    "PERFECTION  NO  TRIFLE." 

A  friend  once  called  upon  Michael  Angelo  while  he 
was  finishing  a  statue  :  some  time  afterward  he  called 
again  ;  the  sculptor  was  still  at  the  same  work  :  his 
friend,  looking  at  the  figure,  exclaimed,  "You  have  been 
idle  since  I  saw  you  last!"  —  "  By  no  means,"  replied 
the  sculptor.  "I  have  retouched  this  part,  and  polished 
that ;  I  have  softened  this  feature,  and  brought  out 
this  muscle ;  I  have  given  more  expression  to  this  lip, 
and  more  energy  to  this  limb."  —  "  Well,  well,"  said  his 
friend;  "but  all  these  are  trifles."  —  "It  may  be  so," 
replied  Angelo ;  "  but  recollect,  that  trifles  make  per- 
fection, and  that  perfection  is  no  trifle." 


25.    LAST  BATTLE  FOUGHT  ON  THE  SOIL  OF  GREAT 
BRITAIN. 

While  George  II.  of  England  was  engaged  in  the 
war  of  the  "Austrian  Succession,"  Charles  Edward 
(called  the  "Young  Pretender"),  a  grandson  of  King 
James  II.  of  England,  landed  in  Scotland,  and  made  two 
attempts  to  obtain  the  throne  of  his  ancestors.  He 
was  victorious  in  the  battle  of  Falkirk  ;  but  the  Duke 
of  Cumberland,  son  of  George  II.,  having  been  recalled 
from  the  Continent  to  take  command  of  the  king's 
forces,  the  Pretender  was  entirely  defeated  at  Culloden 
Moor,  a  plain  in  Scotland,  four  miles  from  Inverness. 
This  was  the  last  battle  fought  on  the  island  of  Great 
Britain  (April  16,  1746),  and  it  was  also  the  last  at- 
tempt on  the  part  of  the  Stuart  family  to  recover  the 
throne  of  Great  Britain. 

Charles  Edward  Stuart  escaped  to  France  after  he 
had  wandered  for  five  months  in  the  Highlands,  pur- 


38 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


sued  by  his  enemies.  He  died  in  Rome,  Jan.  30, 
1788. 

The  Duke  of  Cumberland  gave  no  quarter.  The 
wounded  were  all  slain  ;  and  the  jails  of  England  were 
filled  with  prisoners,  many  of  whom  were  executed. 
Among  the  latter  number  were  Lords  Balmerino,  Kil- 
marnock, and  Lovat,  —  Lovat  being  the  last  person  who 
was  beheaded  in  England. 


26.    THE  CHAIR  OF  IDRIS. 

On  the  very  summit  of  Cader-Idris  (a  mountain 
peak  in  Merionethshire,  Wales)  is  an  excavation  in 
the  solid  rock,  resembling  a  couch.  It  is  said  to  be  the 
chair  of  Idris  the  giant,  after  whom  the  mountain  was 
named.  Tradition  says,  that  whoever  rests  for  a  night 
in  this  seat  will  be  found  the  next  morning  either  dead, 
or  a  raving  maniac,  or  endued  with  supernatural  powers. 
This  excavation  is  probably  the  "  Chair  of  Idris  "  to 
which  Tennyson  refers  in  "  Enid,"  where  Geraint 
says,  — 

"  He  felt,  were  she  the  prize  of  bodily  force, 
Himself  beyond  the  rest  pushing  could  move 
The  chair  of  Idris," 

as  it  is  situated  in  what  is  supposed  to  have  been  King 
Arthur's  territory,  and  as  Geraint  was  a  knight  of  his 
court. 


27.    HISTORY  OF  THE  STRASBOURG  CLOCK. 

This  famous  astronomical  clock  stands  in  the  south 
transept  of  the  Strasbourg  Cathedral. 

It  was  constructed  by  Schwilgue,  a  celebrated  Stras- 
bourg mechanic,  between  the  years  1838  and  1842,  to 
replace  an  older  clock  made  in  1574. 


CATHEDRAL  OF  STRASBOURG 
■Curious  Questions.    Vol.  I  ,  page  38. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


39 


It  comprises  a  number  of  complicated  devices,  to 
show  the  astronomical  changes  of  the  year.  It  con- 
tains a  perpetual  calendar,  which  shows  also  the  feasts 
that  vary  from  year  to  year  on  account  of  their  connec- 
tion with  Easter  Sunday.  The  phases  of  the  moon 
and  the  eclipses  of  the  sun  and  moon  are  calculated  for 
all  time.  True  time  and  sidereal  time  are  also  indi- 
cated, besides  many  other  astronomical  changes.  Pre- 
cisely at  a  quarter  to  twelve,  an  angel  standing  on  the 
topmost  gallery  of  the  clock  strikes  the  third  quarter 
on  a  bell.  When  the  hands  point  to  twelve,  one  of 
the  genii  reverses  an  hour-glass,  and  Death  strikes  the 
hour.  Beneath  are  the  figures  of  Childhood,  Youth, 
Manhood,  and  Old  Age.  Under  the  first  gallery,  Sat- 
urn, the  symbolic  deity  of  the  day,  steps  out  from  a 
niche.  Then  the  figures  of  the  twelve  apostles  come 
out  on  the  gallery,  while  two  doors  flying  open  reveal 
the  Saviour  standing  in  a  little  temple.  Each  of  the 
apostles  passes  in  turn  before  Him,  bowing  low  as  he 
passes ;  and  over  each  the  Lord  raises  His  hands  in 
blessing.  As  St.  Peter  passes,  a  cock  crows  thrice, 
and  the  Devil  looks  after  him  with  a  hideous  grin :  this 
spectacle  takes  place  only  at  noon.  Three  clocks  of 
this  character  have  stood  in  the  same  place,  but  this 
is  the  most  nearly  perfect  of  them  all.  An  interesting 
legend  is  connected  with  the  second  clock,  which  was 
constructed  far  back  in  the  Middle  Ages. 

"  The  maker  was  an  ingenious  mechanic,  but  a  very  simple- 
hearted  old  man.  He  had  a  daughter,  whose  hand  was  sought  by 
one  of  the  magistrates  of  the  town,  —  a  rich,  miserly  man:  but 
the  heart  of  the  maiden  was  already  given  to  her  father's  young 
apprentice,  who  had  rendered  the  mechanic  great  service  in  the 
construction  of  his  clock ;  and  the  old  man  had  promised  that  the 
marriage  might  take  place  as  soon  as  the  clock  was  finished. 
Thus  encouraged,  the  apprentice  worked  so  zealously  that  tha 


40 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS 


clock  was  soon  completed.  The  old  man  wept  for  joy  at  the  suc- 
cess of  his  labor.  Everybody  came  to  see  it,  and  the  city  author- 
ities bought  it  for  the  cathedral.    Then  the  lovers  were  married. 

"  The  fame  of  the  clock  soon  spread  far  and  wide ;  and  the  city 
of  Basel,  Switzerland,  ordered  another  just  like  it.  This  aroused 
the  jealousy  of  the  magistrates  ;  and,  sending  for  the  old  mechanic, 
they  tried  to  extort  a  promise  from  him  that  he  would  never  dupli- 
cate this  masterpiece  for  any  other  town.  '  I  will  make  no  such 
promise,'  said  the  clock-maker.  '  Heaven  gave  me  not  my  talents 
to  feed  your  vain  ambition.'  Then  the  magistrate  who  had  been 
rejected  by  the  old  man's  daughter  persuaded  his  colleagues  to 
put  out  the  old  man's  eyes.  The  clock-maker  heard  the  sentence 
with  fortitude,  only  requesting  that  his  sentence  might  be  executed 
in  the  presence  of  his  beloved  work.  His  request  was  granted : 
he  was  carried  before  the  clock,  where  he  stood  gazing  at  it  fondly. 
*  But  one  touch  remains  to  complete  my  work,'  said  the  old  man ; 
and  he  busied  himself  a  moment  among  the  wheels  of  the  clock. 
Then  he  stepped  back,  and  submitted  himself  to  the  executioner, 
who  quickly  deprived  him  of  his  sight.  At  the  same  moment  a 
crash  was  heard,  and  the  works  of  the  clock  fell  into  a  mass  of 
ruins.  The  old  man  had  removed  the  mainspring;  and  the  works, 
suddenly  released  from  control,  had  destroyed  themselves. 

"  His  revenge  was  complete,  for  there  was  no  one  that  could 
restore  the  wonderful  piece  of  mechanism. 

"  The  people  then  turned  upon  the  cruel  magistrate,  and  with 
blows  and  curses  drove  him  from  the  church." 

The  clock  remained  a  ruin  until  1842,  when  parts  of 
it  were  used  by  Schwilgue  to  construct  the  present 
one. 


28.    GREEK  FIRE.1 

During  the  reign  of  Constantine  III.,  the  Saracens 
besieged  the  city  of  Constantinople  for  five  months, 
but  were  then  obliged  to  retire. 

They  returned  seven  times  during  as  many  succes- 

1  See  Gibbon,  early  sieges  of  Constantinople,  for  its  use,  etc. 


CUR  TO  US  QUESTIONS. 


4' 


sive  years,  but  were  each  time  repulsed  by  Callimachus, 
who,  in  688,  invented  an  inextinguishable  fire  by  which 
he  destroyed  their  ships. 

This  Greek  or  liquid  fire  was  made  principally  of 
naphtha  or  liquid  bitumen,  mixed  with  some  sulphur 
and  pitch  extracted  from  green  firs.  Water,  instead 
of  extinguishing,  quickened  this  powerful  agent  of  de- 
struction, which  nothing  but  sand,  wine,  or  vinegar 
could  check.  For  four  hundred  years  the  Greeks  kept 
the  secret  of  its  composition,  but  the  Mohammedans 
at  length  discovered  and  used  it. 

This  fire  remained  in  use  until  the  middle  of  the 
fourteenth  century,  when  it  was  superseded  by  gun- 
powder. 


29.    A  KING  EXHIBITED  IN  AN  IRON  CAGE. 

Bajazet  I.  was  sultan  of  the  Ottoman  Turks  in  1389. 
He  was  called  Ilderim  (the  Lightning)  on  account  of 
his  rapid  successes  in  the  war.  He  made  all  of  Asia 
Minor  a  part  of  his  dominion,  conquered  what  is  now 
called  Turkey  in  Europe,  overran  Greece,  Hungary, 
etc.  He  seemed  invincible  until  Tamerlane  of  Timour 
defeated  him,  and  took  him  prisoner  in  the  great  battle 
of  Angora. 

Timour  was  one  of  the  greatest  soldiers  that  ever 
lived.  No  one  man  ever  conquered  so  large  a  portion 
of  the  world,  or  ruled  over  so  many  conquered  people. 

After  the  battle  of  Angora,  Bajazet  being  asked  by 
Tamerlane  how  he  would  have  treated  him  had  their 
lots  been  reversed,  "  Like  a  dog,"  he  replied.  "  I  would 
have  made  you  my  footstool  when  I  mounted  my  saddle  ; 
and  when  your  services  were  not  needed,  I  would  have 
chained  you  in  a  cage  like  a  wild  beast."  Tamerlane 


42 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


replied,  "  Then,  to  show  you  the  difference  of  my  spirit, 
I  shall  treat  you  as  a  king." 

So  saying,  he  ordered  his  chains  to  be  struck  off, 
gave  him  one  of  the  royal  tents,  and  promised  to  re- 
store him  to  his  throne  if  he  would  lay  aside  his  hos- 
tility. Bajazet  abused  this  noble  generosity,  and  plotted 
the  assassination  of  Tamerlane. 

Finding  clemency  of  no  avail,  Tamerlane  commanded 
him  to  be  "treated  as  a  dog,"  to  be  "chained  in  a  cage 
like  a  wild  beast,"  and  in  this  condition  was  compelled 
to  accompany  the  victorious  army  of  Tamerlane. 


30.    THE  "  EIKON  BASILIKEV' 

The  "  Eikon  Basilike  "  ("  Royal  Image  ")  was  a  book 
for  many  years  supposed  to  have  been  written  by  Charles 
I.  of  England,  during  his  imprisonment  on  the  Isle  of 
Wight.  It  is  now  known  to  have  been  written  by  Dr. 
Gauden,  Bishop  of  Exeter  (1605-1662).  The  manuscript 
copy  was  put  into  the  hands  of  the  publisher,  Richard 
Royston,  on  the  23d  of  December,  1648.  Whether  any 
copies  were  printed  by  the  30th  of  the  following  month, 
the  day  when  Charles  I.  was.  executed,  is  doubtful ;  but 
there  is  no  doubt  that  it  was  largely  in  circulation  soon 
afterwards,  and  that  it  produced  a  powerful  effect  upon 
the  Royalists,  strengthening  their  doctrine  in  the  divine 
right  of  kings,  most  of  them  believing  that  the  king 
himself  wrote  it. 

This  work  was  the  chief  means  of  obtaining  for 
Charles  I.  the  designation  of  the  "  Royal  Martyr," 
and  to  it  has  been  attributed  also  the  Restoration. 

M.  Guizot,  in  his  history  of  the  events  of  those  times, 
says,  "The  manuscript  had  probably  been  read,  per- 
haps even  corrected,  by  Charles  himself,  during  his  resi- 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


43 


dence  in  the  Isle  of  Wight.  In  any  case,  it  was  the  real 
expression  and  true  portraiture  of  his  position,  character, 
and  mind,  as  they  had  been  formed  by  misfortune." 

Nearly  fifty  thousand  copies  of  it  were  sold  within 
a  year  in  England  alone,  and  it  did  not  fail  to  excite  a 
deep  interest  in  the  faithful  adherents  of  the  House  of 
Stuart :  it  also  produced  a  general  tendency  among  his 
avowed  opponents  to  forget  the  faults  of  the  unfortu- 
nate king,  and  to  recall  his  virtues.  The  Government 
becoming  alarmed  at  the  effect  of  it  upon  the  public 
mind,  desired  Milton  to  write  an  answer  to  the  "  Eikon 
Basilike,"  with  the  view  of  showing,  that,  whether  writ- 
ten by  the  king  or  not,  its  political  reasonings  were 
invalid.  Milton  accepted  the  duty,  and  wrote  what 
became  one  of  his  most  celebrated  works,  called  the 
"  Eikonoklastes  "  ("  Image-breaker  "),  more  frequently 
spelled  Iconoclastes. 

The  question  of  the  authorship  of  the  "  Eikon  Basi- 
like" was  long  a  matter  of  literary  discussion  ;  and  in  the 
last  century  we  find  Hume,  in  his  History  of  England, 
advocating  the  claims  of  the  king  to  the  authorship,  in 
preference  to  those  of  Dr.  Gauden. 

Numerous  copies  of  the  "Eikon  Basilike"  are  pre- 
served in  public  and  private  libraries  in  England  :  these 
copies  have  verses,  written  on  the  fly-leaves  during  the 
troubled  period  of  the  Commonwealth,  showing  that  the 
grief  of  the  people  was  deep  and  sincere,  and  that  they 
considered  the  work  to  be  "A  Faithful  Portraiture  of 
his  Sacred  Majesty  in  his  Solitudes  and  Sufferings." 

According  to  Hume,  "  it  must  be  acknowledged  the 
best  prose  composition  which,  at  the  time  of  its  compo- 
sition, was  to  be  found  in  the  English  language."  The 
bitter  vein  and  scurrilous  tone  of  the  "  Iconoclastes " 
has  been  considered  a  spot  on  Milton's  fame. 


■ 


44 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


31.    THE  ROPE  OF  OCNUS. 

"The  Rope  of  Ocnus  "  is  the  name  of  a  celebrated 
picture  painted  by  Polygnotus,  a  distinguished  Greek 
painter  who  died  about  426  B.C.  He  was  the  first  who 
gave  life,  character,  and  expression  to  painting.  Ac- 
cording to  Pliny,  he  opened  the  mouth,  and  showed  the 
teeth  of  his  figures  :  he  was  the  first  to  paint  women 
with  transparent  drapery  and  with  rich  head-dresses. 

Ocnus  was  the  name  of  a  poor  but  industrious  Greek, 
whose  extravagant  wife  spent  his  money  as  fast  as  he 
earned  it.  He  complained  to  Polygnotus  of  his  trials 
and  tribulations  in  this  respect,  and  Polygnotus  painted 
the  picture  alluded  to  above. 

The  picture  represents  a  poor  man  weaving  a  rope 
out  of  straw,  while  behind  him  stands  an  ass  eating 
off  the  other  end  of  the  rope.  The  silent  lesson  con- 
veyed by  the  picture  is  said  to  have  had  the  desired 
effect  upon  the  wife  of  Ocnus,  and  by  her  frugality  and 
thrift  she  enabled  him  soon  to  rise  from  obscurity  to 
great  prosperity. 

The  phrase,  like  "the  rope  of  Ocnus,"  signifies  profit- 
less labor. 


32.    ORIGIN  OF  LIFTING  THE  HAT. 

The  custom  of  lifting  the  hat  had  its  origin  during 
the  age  of  chivalry,  when  it  was  customary  for  knights 
never  to  appear  in  public  except  in  full  armor. 

It  became  a  custom,  however,  for  a  knight,  upon  en- 
tering an  assembly  of  friends,  to  remove  his  helmet, 
signifying,  "  I  am  safe  in  the  presence  of  friends." 

The  age  of  chivalry  passed  away  with  the  fifteenth 
century  ;  but  among  the  many  acts  of  courtesy  which 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


45 


can  be  traced  back  to  its  influence,  none  is  more  direct 
in  its  origin  than  that  of  lifting  the  hat  to  acknowledge 
the  presence  of  a  friend. 


33.    THE  INCAS. 

The  origin  of  the  Incas,  the  native  rulers  of  Peru,  is 
purely  traditional.  We  have  no  authorities  on  the  sub- 
ject save  the  traditions  of  the  Indians,  gathered  by  the 
early  Spaniards.  From  these  traditions,  it  appears  that 
Manco  was  the  name  of  the  first  Inca  (Child  of  the 
Sun). 

He  founded  the  city  of  Cuzco,  instructed  the  men  in 
agriculture  and  the  arts,  gave  them  a  comparatively 
pure  religion,  and  a  social  and  natural  organization  ; 
while  his  wife  taught  the  women  to  sew,  to  spin,  and  to 
weave.  Thus  the  Inca  was  not  only  the  ruler  of  his 
people,  but  also  the  father  and  high  priest. 

After  introducing  wise  laws  among  his  people,  and 
ruling  over  them  for  forty  years,  "he  ascended  to  his 
father  the  Sun  ;  "  the  year  generally  assigned  as  that 
of  his  death  being  A.D.  1062. 

The  progress  of  the  Peruvians  was  slow :  they  in- 
vented no  alphabet,  and  could  therefore  keep  no  written 
records.  Thus  it  is  that  we  have  no  exact  history  of 
the  Incas  farther  back  than  about  one  hundred  years 
before  the  conquest  of  the  country  by  the  Spaniards  in 
the  sixteenth  century. 

Three  distinct  historical  eras  are  manifested  in  Peru. 
The  Pre-Incarial  period,  of  unknown  duration,  during 
which  a  highly  civilized  people  lived  in  large  cities,  had 
a  language  and  a  religion  more  advanced  than  even 
those  of  the  Incas  who  succeeded  them.  Whence 


46 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


these  people  came,  and  to  what  branch  of  the  human 
family  they  belonged,  still  remain  unanswered  questions. 
Their  existence,  however,  is  clearly  attested  by  vast 
architectural  remains. 

Then  follows  the  period  of  the  Incas,  which  attained 
its  greatest  extent  and  the  height  of  its  glory  when 
Huayna  Capac  ascended  the  throne,  in  1475. 

About  the  year  15 16,  and  ten  years  before  the  death 
of  Huayna  Capac,  the  first  white  man  landed  on  the 
western  shore  of  South  America ;  but  it  was  not  until 
the  year  1532,  that  Pizarro,  at  the  head  of  a  small  band 
of  Spanish  adventurers,  invaded  and  conquered  Peru. 
From  that  date  to  the  present  may  be  considered  the 
third  historical  era  of  Peru.  Atahualpa  was  the  last 
Inca  of  Peru  :  when  his  father,  the  Inca  Huayna  Capac, 
died,  he  left  his  throne  to  his  eldest  son,  Huascar,  and 
gave  Atahualpa  the  government  of  Quito,  of  which  his 
mother  had  been  princess.  This  division  of  the  empire 
led  to  civil  war ;  and,  after  a  long  and  bloody  struggle, 
Huascar  was  taken  prisoner,  and  Atahualpa  became 
Inca. 

It  was  at  about  this  time  that  Pizarro  invaded  Peru  ; 
and  Atahualpa  ordered  that  he  should  be  treated  kindly, 
and  gave  him  quarters  in  one  of  his  cities. 

A  meeting  between  the  two  having  been  arranged, 
Atahualpa  approached  the  Spanish  camp  with  a  retinue 
of  unarmed  followers,  when  he  was  treacherously  seized 
by  Pizarro,  and  thrown  into  prison. 

Atahualpa  offered  as  his  ransom  to  fill  the  room  in 
which  he  was  confined  as  high  as  he  could  reach  with 
gold.  Pizarro  accepted  the  ransom;  but,  while  the 
Peruvians  were  bringing  in  the  gold  from  all  parts, 
he  was  plotting  to  kill  the  Inca,  and  seize  his  vast 
treasure. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


47 


At  length,  when  the  ransom  was  paid,  and  Atahualpa 
demanded  his  liberty,  Pizarro  refused  to  grant  it,  falsely 
accusing  him  of  plotting  against  the  Spaniards. 

After  much  base  treachery  on  the  part  of  Pizarro, 
Atahualpa  was  brought  to  a  mock  trial,  and  condemned 
to  be  burned  ;  but,  upon  his  consenting  to  be  baptized, 
the  sentence  was  commuted  to  strangulation,  Aug.  29, 
1533.  This  most  romantic  history  has  been  given  by 
William  H.  Prescott  in  his  "  Conquest  of  Peru." 


34.    THE  VEILED  PROPHET  OF  KHORASSAN. 

Hakim  Ben  Allah,  called  Mokanna  the  Veiled,  was 
the  founder  of  an  Arabic  sect  in  the  eighth  century, 
during  the  reign  of  Mahadi  at  Meru  in  Khorassan. 

He  commenced  his  extraordinary  career  as  a  common 
soldier,  but  soon  rose  to  be  commander  of  a  band  of  his 
own. 

An  arrow  pierced  one  of  his  eyes  ;  and,  to  hide  this 
deformity,  he  always  wore  a  veil. 

Hakim  finally  set  himself  up  as  God ;  he  assumed  to 
have  been  Adam,  Noah,  and  other  wise  men  of  various 
times  ;  and  now  he  had  taken  the  human  form  of  the 
Prince  of  Khorassan. 

He  was  well  versed  in  the  arts  of  magic,  and  pro- 
duced some  startling  effects  of  light  and  color. 

Among  other  miracles,  for  one  week,  to  the  delight 
and  bewilderment  of  his  soldiers,  he  caused  a  moon  to 
issue  from  a  deep  well.  So  brilliant  was  this  luminary, 
that  the  real  moon  paled  beside  it. 

Hakim  had  many  followers,  and  was  soon  able  to 
seize  several  fortified  cities. 

The  Sultan  Mahadi  marched  against  him,  and  after 


48 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


a  long  siege  took  his  last  stronghold.  Upon  that,  Ha- 
kim, having  first  poisoned  his  soldiers  with  wine  at  a 
banquet,  threw  himself  into  a  vessel  filled  with  a  burn- 
ing acid  of  such  a  nature  that  his  body  was  dissolved, 
nothing  but  a  few  hairs  remaining. 

He  wished  to  leave  the  impression  that  he  had  as- 
cended bodily  into  heaven. 

Some  remnants  of  this  heresy  still  exist. 

Hakim  has  been  made  the  subject  of  many  romances, 
of  which  the  one  by  Moore  in  his  "  Lalla  Rookh"  is 
the  most  brilliant  and  best  known. 


35.    SIX  FAMOUS  DIAMONDS. 

Large  diamonds,  like  first-class  pictures,  have  a  Euro- 
pean valuation  ;  because  they  are  few  in  number,  are 
not  susceptible  of  reproduction,  are  everywhere  prized, 
and  can  be  bought  only  by  the  very  wealthy. 

Only  six  large  diamonds,  called  paragons,  are  known, 
the  largest  of  which,  the  "Grand  Mogul,"  is  in  the 
possession  of  the  Shah  of  Persia,  weighing,  after  being 
cut,  280  carats.  Next  in  size  follows  the  "  Orloff " 
diamond,  named  from  Count  Orloff,  who  bought  it  in 
1772  for  the  Empress  Catharine  of  Russia.  It  was 
once  the  eye  of  an  idol  in  India.  A  Frenchman,  who 
happened  to  see  it,  made  a  glass  one  like  it,  and,  watch- 
ing his  chance,  put  it  in  the  place  of  the  diamond,  with 
which  he  ran  away. 

He  sold  the  diamond  to  the  captain  of  a  ship  for 
$10,000:  the  captain  took  it  to  Europe,  and  sold  it  for 
$100,000.  At  last  it  came  into  the  hands  of  a  diamond- 
merchant,  who  sold  it  to  Count  Orloff  for  $450,000  in 
money,  and  a  yearly  payment  during  his  life  of  $20,000. 


CURIO  US  Q  UES  7  '10 A  rS. 


49 


The  empress  also  conferred  upon  the  merchant  a  title 
of  nobility.  This  stone,  rose-cut,  is  shaped  like  half  a 
pigeon's  egg,  and  weighs  195  carats.  It  adorns  the 
point  of  the  sceptre  of  the  Emperor  of  Russia. 

The  "Regent,"  or  "Pitt  Diamond,"  one  of  the 
French  crown-jewels,  is  the  next  in  size.  It  was  found 
in  India,  and  is  sometimes  called  the  "Pitt"  diamond 
from  Mr.  Pitt,  Governor  of  Madras,  India,  who  bought 
it  in  1702  for  $100,000.  It  gets  its  name  "Regent" 
from  the  fact  that  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  acting  as  regent 
for  Louis  XV.  of  France,  bought  it  for  him  at  a  cost 
of  $650,000.  It  is  said  to  be  worth  twice  that  sum 
now,  and  is  accounted  the  most  perfect  brilliant-cut 
diamond  in  the  world.  The  time  occupied  in  cutting  it 
was  two  years,  during  which  time  diamond  powder  to 
the  value  of  ^850  was  used. 

The  "  Florentine  "  or  "  Austrian  "  diamond,  the  fourth 
in  size,  weighs  139  carats. 

This  was  one  of  the  three  great  diamonds  belonging 
to  Charles  the  Bold,  Duke  of  Burgundy,  and  lost  by 
him  at  the  battle  of  Granson  in  1476.  It  was  found 
by  a  Swiss  peasant,  who  sold  it  to  a  priest  for  half  a 
crown.  The  priest  sold  it  for  ,£200  to  Bartholomew 
May  of  Berne.  It  subsequently  came  into  the  hands  of 
Pope  Julius  II.,  and  the  Pope  gave  it  to  the  Emperor 
of  Austria. 

The  "  Star  of  the  South,"  next  in  size,  was  found  by 
a  negro  in  Brazil  in  1853.  After  it  had  been  cut  at 
Amsterdam,  it  was  bought  by  the  Earl  of  Dudley, 
whence  it  is  known  also  as  the  "  Dudley  "  diamond.  It 
weighed  254^  carats  when  found :  after  cutting,  its 
weight  was  126  carats. 

The  English  "Kohinoor"  ("Mountain  of  Light")  has 
attached  to  it  quite  a  romantic  history.    It  was  found 


5o 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


in  the  mines  of  Golconda,  how  many  ages  ago  no  one 
can  tell ;  but  the  Hindoos,  who  are  fond  of  high  num- 
bers, say  that  it  belonged  to  Kama,  King  of  Anga, 
three  thousand  years  ago.  Viewed  within  more  moder- 
ate limits,  this  diamond  is  said  to  have  been  stolen 
from  one  of  the  kings  of  Golconda  by  a  treacherous 
general  named  Minizola,  and  by  him  presented  to  the 
Great  Mogul,  Shah  Jehan,  father  of  Aurung-Zebe,  about 
the  year  1640. 

It  was  then  in  a  rough  state,  and  weighed,  it  is  said, 
800  carats,  but  was  reduced  to  279  carats  by  the  awk- 
wardness of  the  cutter.  When  Tavernier,  the  French 
traveller,  was  in  India  about  two  hundred  years  ago,  he 
saw  the  "  Kohinoor,"  and  on  his  return  told  of  the 
immense  wonderment  and  admiration  with  which  it  was 
regarded  in  that  country. 

After  his  time  the  treasure  changed  hands  frequently 
among  the  princes  of  India,  generally  through  fraud 
or  violence. 

Early  in  the  present  century  its  possessor  was  the 
Khan  of  Cabul,  from  whom  it  was  treacherously  ob- 
tained by  a  slave,  and  passed  into  the  possession  of 
Runjeet  Singh,  thence  to  his  successors  on  the  throne 
of  Lahore,  India.  When  Punjaub  was  conquered  by 
the  English  in  1850,  the  "Kohinoor"  was  included 
among  the  spoils  ;  and  on  the  6th  of  April,  1850,  the 
"  Kohinoor  "  left  India,  to  pass  into  the  hands  of  Vic- 
toria, Queen  of  England,  and  who  has  been  lately  made 
Empress  of  India. 

Col.  Mackesan  and  Capt.  Ramsey  were  intrusted  to 
convey  it  to  England  in  the  "  Media,"  as  a  present 
from  the  East-India  Company.  The  court  jeweller 
was  employed  to  recut  it,  to  increase  its  brilliancy  ; 
and  as  a  mark  of  honor  the  Duke  of  Wellington  was 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


51 


allowed  to  give  the  first  touch  to  the  work.  It  now 
weighs  only  106  carats,  but  is  regarded  as  far  more 
dazzling  and  beautiful  than  at  any  previous  time  in  its 
history. 

While  in  size  and  weight  it  ranks  the  sixth  diamond, 
in  value  it  ranks  as  the  highest  in  the  world,  its  present 
valuation  being  $2,000,000. 

Diamonds  are  generally  considered  the  most  precious 
of  all  stones,  but  this  is  a  mistake. 

A  fine  ruby  of  one  carat  is  worth  $450 ;  a  sapphire, 
#300;  a  diamond,  $150. 

Diamonds  are,  however,  of  more  value  for  their  use 
in  art,  since  only  a  diamond  can  cut  a  diamond. 

The  Amsterdam  firm  of  J.  Metz  is  now  busy  with 
the  erection  of  a  special  workshop,  in  which  the  cut- 
ting of  a  diamond  —  the  largest  in  the  world  —  is  soon 
to  begin.  This  diamond,  which  has  recently  been  found 
in  South  Africa,  weighs  475  carats,  and  is  said  to  be 
greatly  superior  in  color  and  brilliancy  to  all  the  other 
famous  diamonds  of  the  world. 


36.    A  ROLAND  FOR  AN  OLIVER. 

Roland  and  Oliver  were  the  most  famous  of  th? 
twelve  paladins  of  Charlemagne. 

Roland,  the  nephew  of  Charlemagne,  is  the  hero  of 
Ariosto's  epic  poem  called  "  Orlando  Furioso,"  Orlando 
being  the  Italian  form  of  the  name.  He  is  there  rep- 
resented as  being  eight  feet  high,  and  well  proportioned. 

Oliver  was  also  a  knight  celebrated  for  his  exploits, 
and  was  so  nearly  a  match  for  Roland  that  they  finally 
engaged  in  single  combat  on  an  island  in  the  Rhine. 
They  fought  for  five  successive  days  without  either 


52 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


gaining  the  advantage;  so  that  the  expression,  "a  Ro- 
land for  an  Oliver,"  means  a  blow  for  a  blow,  a  retort 
for  a  retort,  or  a  quid  pro  quo. 

History  tells  us,  that  in  778,  when  Charlemagne  was 
busily  engaged  in  organizing  the  recently  subjugated 
pagan  Saxons,  and  superintending  their  collective  bap- 
tism and  entrance  into  the  Christian  Church,  he  was 
visited  by  a  Saracen  chief  who  offered  to  put  the 
Frankish  sovereign  in  possession  of  several  towns 
south  of  the  Pyrenees  Mountains. 

Charlemagne  accepted  the  offer,  and  marched  with 
a  large  army  through  the  territory  ;  but,  finding  that 
the  Saracen  had  betrayed  him,  he  gave  orders  to  return 
to  France. 

It  was  during  the  retreat,  while  the  Christian  army 
was  slowly  threading  its  way  through  the  narrow  valley 
of  Roncesvalles,  that  Roland,  commanding  the  rear 
guard,  was  suddenly  surrounded  by  an  immense  army 
of  the  enemy,  who  had  been  lying  in  ambush,  and  was 
slain. 

Roland,  according  to  tradition,  possessed  an  en- 
chanted horn,  which  could  be  heard  at  a  distance  of 
thirty  miles. 

With  this  horn  he  could  have  called  his  uncle  to  his 
rescue;  but  he  refused  to  use  it  until  one  hundred  thou- 
sand of  the  Saracens  lay  dead,  and  but  fifty  of  his 
twenty  thousand  men  remained  to  aid  him. 

After  he  was  mortally  wounded,  he  blew  one  blast 
on  his  horn  (Olifant),  and  threw  his  enchanted  sword 
(Durandal)  into  a  stream.  Charlemagne  heard  the 
blast,  and  returned,  but  was  too  late  to  rescue  his 
nephew. 

The  oldest  version  of  "  The  Song  of  Roland "  be- 
longs to  the  eleventh  century ;  and  throughout  the 


CURIO  US  Q  UES  TIONS. 


53 


Middle  Ages  it  was  the  most  popular  of  the  heroic 
poems,  William  the  Conqueror  having  it  sung  at  the 
head  of  his  troops  during  his  conquest  of  England. 
Roland  is  also  the  hero  of  Boiardo's  "  Orlando  Inna- 
morato,"  or  "  Roland  in  Love." 


37.    THE  BUCCANEERS. 

The  buccaneers  were  a  celebrated  association  of  sea- 
robbers,  or  pirates,  called  also  "  Brethren  of  the  Coast," 
who  for  nearly  two  centuries,  from  the  second  quarter 
of  the  sixteenth  century  to  the  end  of  the  seventeenth, 
maintained  themselves  in  the  Caribbean  Seas,  and 
waged  a  constant  warfare  against  the  Spaniards  in  the 
West  Indies.  The  buccaneers  were  Europeans,  chiefly 
natives  of  Great  Britain  and  France,  who  first  associ- 
ated together  about  1524.  The  arrogant  assumption 
by  the  Spaniards  (on  account  of  a  bull  issued  by  the 
Pope)  of  a  divine  right  to  the  whole  New  World  was 
not,  of  course,  to  be  tolerated  by  the  enterprising 
mariners  of  England  and  France  ;  and  the  enormous 
cruelties  practised  by  the  Spaniards  upon  all  foreign 
interlopers,  of  which  the  history  of  that  time  is  full, 
naturally  led  to  an  association  for  mutual  defence,  par- 
ticularly among  the  English  and  French. 

The  fundamental  principles  of  their  policy  —  for  they 
in  course  of  time  formed  distinct  communities  —  were 
close  mutual  alliance,  and  mortal  war  with  all  that  was 
Spanish.  Their  simple  code  of  laws  bound  them  to 
share  the  common  necessaries  of  life ;  locks  and  bars 
were  proscribed,  as  an  insult  to  the  general  honor ;  and 
every  man  had  his  comrade  who  stood  by  him  when 
alive,  and  succeeded  to  his  property  after  his  death. 


54 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


When  they  were  not  hunting  Spaniards,  or  being 
hunted  themselves,  their  chief  occupation  and  means 
of  subsistence  was  the  chase. 

From  the  flesh  of  wild  animals  they  made  their 
"  boucan,"  or  cured  meat,  and  sold  the  skins  and  tallow 
to  Dutch  traders. 

The  name  buccaneer  is  derived  from  the  Caribbee 
word  "boucan,"  the  French  calling  it  "boucanier," 
from  which  the  English  derive  our  present  "bucca- 
neer." 

The  history  of  these  men  embraces  narratives  of 
cruelty  and  bloodshed  unsurpassed  in  the  annals  of 


It  has,  however,  not  a  few  stories  of  high  and  ro- 
mantic adventure,  of  chivalrous  and  brilliant  general- 
ship. 

Among  the  great  captains  whose  names  figure  most 
prominently  in  the  records  of  buccaneering,  are  the 
Frenchman  Montbar,  surnamed  "The  Exterminator;" 
and  his  countryman  Peter  Dieppe,  surnamed  "The 
Great." 

Pre-eminent,  however,  among  them  all  was  the 
Welshman  Henry  Morgan,  who  organized  fleets  and 
armies,  took  strong  cities,  and  displayed  throughout 
the  genius  of  a  born  commander.  He  led  the  way  for 
the  buccaneers  to  the  Southern  Ocean,  by  his  daring 
march,  in  1670,  across  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  to  the 
city  of  that  name,  which  he  took  and  plundered  after  a 
desperate  battle. 

He  was  knighted  by  Charles  II.,  and  became  deputy 
governor  of  Jamaica.  The  war  between  France  and 
Britain,  after  the  accession  of  William.  III.,  dissolved 


neers.    The  last  great  event  in  their  history  was  the 


crime. 


the  ancient  alliance  of  the  French 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


55 


capture  of  Carthagena,  in  1697,  where  the  booty  was 
enormous. 

After  the  peace  of  Ryswick  (1697),  and  the  acces- 
sion of  the  Bourbon,  Philip  V.,  to  the  Spanish  crown 
(1701),  they  finally  disappeared. 


38.    THE  LETTERS  OF  JUNIUS. 

Junius  was  the  name,  or  signature,  of  a  writer  who 
published,  at  intervals  between  the  years  1769  and  1772, 
a  series  of  political  papers,  forty-four  in  number,  on  the 
leading  questions  and  men  of  the  day,  among  them 
George  III. 

The  authorship  was  a  mystery  at  the  time,  and  re- 
mains a  puzzle  still.  All  the  world  felt  the  letters  to  be 
the  work  of  no  common  man,  and  they  are  still  consid- 
ered models  of  letter-writing. 

The  most  remarkable  thing  about  them  is  the  evi- 
dence of  familiarity  with  high  people  and  official  life. 

"A  traitor  in  the  camp!"  was  the  cry  of  leading 
statesmen  of  the  period,  and  every  person  of  talent  or 
eminence  fell  more  or  less  under  the  suspicion  of  being 
"  Junius." 

He  said  in  one  of  his  letters,  "  I  am  the  sole  deposi- 
tary of  my  secret,  and  it  shall  die  with  me." 

Lord  Chatham  (Mr.  Pitt)  was,  among  others,  accused 
of  being  the  writer  of  these  letters  ;  but  Lord  Macaulay 
was  of  the  firm  opinion  that  the  author  was  Sir  Philip 
Francis.    On  this  subject  he  says,  — 

"  Was  he  the  author  of  the  '  Letters  of  Junius  '  ?  Our  own  firm 
belief  is,  that  he  was.  The  external  evidence  is,  we  think,  such  as 
would  support  a  verdict  in  a  civil,  nay,  in  a  criminal  proceeding. 
The  handwriting  of  Junius  is  the  very  peculiar  handwriting  of 
Francis,  slightly  disguised.    As  to  the  position,  pursuits,  and  con- 


56 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


nections  of  Junius,  the  following  are  the  most  important  facts 
which  can  be  considered  as  clearly  proved :  first,  that  he  was  ac- 
quainted with  the  technical  forms  of  the  Secretary  of  State's  office ; 
secondly,  that  he  was  intimately  acquainted  with  the  business  of 
the  war-office;  thirdly,  that  he,  during  the  year  1770,  attended 
debates  in  the  House  of  Lords,  and  took  notes  of  speeches,  par- 
ticularly of  the  speeches  of  Lord  Chatham ;  fourthly,  that  he  bitterly 
resented  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Chamier  to  the  place  of  Deputy 
Secretary  of  War ;  fifthly,  that  he  was  bound  by  some  strong  tie 
to  the  first  Lord  Holland.  Now,  Francis  passed  some  years  in  the 
Secretary  of  State's  office.  He  was  subsequently  chief  clerk  of 
the  war-office.  He  repeatedly  mentioned  that  he  had  himself,  in 
1770,  heard  speeches  of  Lord  Chatham;  and  some  of  those 
speeches  were  actually  printed  from  his  notes.  He  resigned  his 
clerkship  at  the  war-office  from  resentment  at  the  appointment  of 
Mr.  Chamier.  It  was  by  Lord  Holland  that  he  was  first  introduced 
into  the  public  service.  Now,  here  are  five  marks,  all  of  which 
ought  to  be  found  in  Junius.  They  are  all  five  found  in  Francis. 
We  do  not  believe  that  more  than  two  of  them  can  be  found  in  any 
other  person  whatever.  If  this  argument  does  not  settle  the  ques- 
tion, there  is  an  end  of  all  reasoning  on  circumstantial  evidence." 


39.    THE  MONA  LISA. 

Mona  Lisa  was  the  wife  of  Francesco  del  Giocondo, 
a  Florentine  friend  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci ;  and  her 
portrait  in  the  Louvre  is  rightly  considered  one  of  the 
chefs-d'oeuvre  of  this  master  and  of  his  style.  He  is 
said  to  have  worked  at  this  portrait  for  four  years  with- 
out having  finished  it  to  his  own  satisfaction. 

The  picture  is  known  as  "  La  Belle  Joconde"  (in  Ital- 
ian, "La  Gioconda") ;  and  Vasari  describes  it  as  "rather 
divine  than  human,  as  lifelike  as  nature  itself,  .  .  .  not 
painting,  but  the  despair  of  other- painters."  M.  Mich- 
elet  adds,  "  This  picture  attracts  me,  it  fascinates  and 
absorbs  me  :  I  go  to  it  in  spite  of  myself,  as  the  bird  is 
drawn  to  the  serpent." 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


57 


40.    A  FEATHER  IN  ONE'S  CAP. 

In  the  Lansdowne  manuscript  in  the  British  Museum 
is  a  description  of  Hungary  in  1599,  in  which  the  writer 
says  of  the  inhabitants,  "  It  hath  been  an  antient  cus- 
tom among  them  that  none  should  wear  a  fether  but  he 
who  had  killed  a  Turk,  to  whom  onlie  yt  was  lawful  to 
shew  the  number  of  his  slaine  enemys  by  the  number 
of  fethers  in  his  cappe." 


41.    AN  ENGLISH  POPE. 

Pope  Adrian  IV.  was  by  birth  an  Englishman,  and 
the  only  one  of  that  nation  who  has  ever  occupied  the 
papal  chair.  He  was  a  native  of  Langley,  near  St. 
Albans,  in  Hertfordshire. 

He  was  born  before  A.D.  1100:  his  real  name  was 
Nicholas  Breakspear.  He  is  said  to  have  left  England 
as  a  beggar,  and  to  have  become  a  servant  or  lay 
brother  in  a  monastery  near  Avignon,  in  France,  where 
he  studied  with  such  diligence  that  in  11 37  he  was 
elected  abbot.  His  merits  soon  became  known  to 
Pope  Eugenius  III.,  who  made  him  cardinal-bishop  of 
Alba  in  1 146,  and  sent  him  two  years  later  as  his  legate 
to  Denmark  and  Norway,  where  he  converted  many  of 
the  inhabitants  to  Christianity. 

Soon  after  his  return  to  Rome,  Nicholas  was  unani- 
mously chosen  pope,  against  his  own  inclination,  No- 
vember, 1 1 54. 

Henry  II.  of  England,  on  hearing  of  his  election,  sent 
the  abbot  of  St.  Albans  and  three  bishops  to  Rome 
with  his  congratulations.  With  Adrian  began  the  long 
struggle  between  the  papal  power  and  the  house  of 


58 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Hohenstaufen,  which  ended  in  the  destruction  of  that 
dynasty. 

Frederick  Barbarossa  entered  Italy  at  the  head  of  a 
large  army,  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  the  crown  of 
Germany  from  the  hands  of  the  Pope :  Adrian  met  him 
at  Sutri. 

The  demand  that  he  should  hold  the  Pope's  stirrup 
as  a  mark  of  respect  was  refused  by  Frederick,  and  not 
until  after  two  days'  negotiation  was  he  induced  to  yield 
the  desired  homage. 

His  Holiness  then  conducted  the  emperor  to  Rome, 
where  the  ceremony  of  coronation  took  place  in  St. 
Peter's  Church,  A.D.  1 1 55 .  It  was  in  these  transac- 
tions that  the  quarrel  originated.  The  Pope  addressed 
a  letter  to  Frederick  and  the  German  bishops  in  1 1 57, 
asserting  that  the  emperor  held  his  dominions  as  a 
beneficium.  This  expression  being  interpreted  as  de- 
noting feudal  tenure,  aroused  in  Frederick  and  the 
Germans  the  fiercest  indignation.  Explanations  were 
attempted,  but  the  breach  could  not  be  healed.  Adrian 
was  about  to  pronounce  the  sentence  of  excommunica- 
tion upon  Frederick,  when  he  died  at  Anagni,  Sept.  1, 
1 159.  During  the  pontificate  of  Adrian,  the  doctrine 
of  Transubstantiation,  advanced  by  Petrus  Lombardus, 
was  established. 


42.    FREDERICK  BARBAROSSA. 

Frederick  I.,  called  Barbarossa  (Red-beard),  was  Em- 
peror of  Germany  (A.D.  1125-1190).  He  was  a  great 
statesman  and  a  valiant  soldier. 

He  had  much  trouble  with  his  Italian  towns,  which 
rebelled  against  him,  desiring  to  become  republics  in 
themselves.    The  Pope  encouraged  them  at  first,  be- 


CURIO  US  Q  UES  T10NS. 


59 


cause  he  did  not  like  Frederick ;  but  after  their  cele- 
brated reconciliation  at  Venice,  these  towns  submitted 
to  Frederick.  One  of  his  vassals,  however,  Henry  the 
Lion,  rebelled  against  him ;  and  Frederick  had  no  peace 
until  he  took  from  Henry  his  lands,  and  sent  him  out 
of  the  country. 

The  name  of  Henry's  family  was  Welf ;  the  Hohen- 
staufens,  Frederick's  family,  were  sometimes  called 
Waibling. 

The  Italians  called  these  names  Guelph  and  Ghibel- 
line. 

In  1 189,  when  Frederick  was  quite  an  old  man,  he 
set  out,  at  the  head  of  a  large  army,  on  the  third  Cru- 
sade. But  he  did  not  reach  the  Holy  Land;  for,  while 
his  army  was  crossing  a  river  in  Asia  Minor,  he  grew 
impatient  because  the  bridge  became  blocked,  and 
dashed  into  the  water  on  horse-back.  The  stream 
swept  him  away ;  and,  before  help  could  reach  him,  he 
was  drowned,  June  10,  1190. 

He  was  buried  in  Antioch  ;  but  in  after-times  a  story 
arose  that  he  was  not  dead,  but  sleeping  in  a  mountain 
cave  in  Germany,  and  that,  when  the  ravens  should 
cease  to  fly  around  the  mountain,  he  would  awake,  and 
restore  Germany  to  its  ancient  greatness. 

According  to  the  story,  his  red  beard  has  become  so 
long  that  it  has  grown  through  the  table  beside  which 
he  sits,  and  that  it  must  wrap  itself  three  times  around 
the  table  before  his  second  advent. 


43.    THE  GOLDEN  TEMPLE  OF  UMRITSEER. 

The  Golden  Temple  of  Umritseer  in  India  is  an  ele- 
gant little  building,  architecturally  resembling  the  Sara- 
cenic in  some  features,  and  in  others  partaking  of  the 
pagoda  style. 


6o 


CURIOUS  QUEST/ OA'S. 


It  is  about  sixty  feet  long,  and  thirty  feet  wide,  and  is 
situated  in  the  middle  of  a  huge  tank,  called  by  the 
Sikhs  the  "  Fount  of  Immortality." 

The  gateway  to  the  bridge  leading  across  the  tank  to 
the  temple,  is  covered  with  plates  of  chased  silver, 
twelve  feet  square ;  and  along  this  bridge  are  richly 
gilded  lamps,  supported  by  marble  pedestals.  The  tem- 
ple is  two-storied,  the  walls  being  of  marble  inlaid  with 
mosaics  of  the  Florentine  style,  representing  birds, 
vases,  and  flowers :  the  roof  is  surmounted  by  three 
domes,  around  which  are  grouped  a  multitude  of  little 
cupolas,  all  highly  gilded,  and  glittering  in  the  light. 

The  doors  are  of  silver,  embossed  and  chased  with 
various  designs. 


44.    THIRTEEN  A  LUCKY  NUMBER. 

There  is  an  ancient  superstition,  that  if  on  any  occa- 
sion thirteen  sit  at  table  together,  one  of  the  number 
will  die  before  the  year  is  out.  This  silly  superstition 
has  been  traced  back  to  the  Last  Supper  of  our  Lord 
with  his  twelve  disciples,  Judas  after  the  betrayal  hav- 
ing hanged  himself. 

Thirteen  has  in  consequence  been  considered  an 
unlucky  number :  to  counterbalance  this,  there  is  an 
instance  of  thirteen  having  been  a  lucky  number. 

An  obituary  notice  of  John  Hatfield,  who  died  June 
18,  1770,  aged  102,  appeared  a  few  days  after  his  death 
in  the  "  Public  Advertiser,"  London. 

It  states,  that,  "when  a  soldier  in  the  time  of  William 
and  Mary,  he  was  tried  by  a  court-martial  on  a  charge 
of  having  fallen  asleep  at  midnight  when  on  duty  upon 
the  terrace  at  Windsor."  It  goes  on  to  state,  "  He 
absolutely  denied  the  charge  against  him,  and  solemnly 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


6l 


declared  (as  a  proof  of  his  having  been  awake  at  the 
time)  that  he  heard  St.  Paul's  clock  strike  thirteen :  the 
truth  of  which  was  much  doubted  by  the  court  because 
of  the  great  distance.  But  while  he  was  under  sentence 
of  death,  an  affidavit  was  made  by  several  persons  that 
the  clock  actually  did  strike  thirteen  instead  of  twelve  : 
whereupon  he  received  his  Majesty's  pardon." 

It  is  added  that  a  recital  of  these  circumstances  was 
engraven  on  the  coffin-plate  of  the  old  soldier,  to  satisfy 
the  world  of  the  truth  of  the  story. 

The  clock  which  struck  on  this  important  occasion 
was  Tom  of  Westminster,  afterwards  removed  to  St. 
Paul's. 


45.    THE  TOMB  OF  CHARLEMAGNE. 

Charles  the  Great,  or,  as  the  French  call  him,  Charle- 
magne (a  corruption  of  Carolus  Magnus),  built  a  splen- 
did palace  for  himself  at  Aix-la-Chapelle  in  Prussia ; 
also  a  chapel  on  the  site  of  the  present  cathedral,  and 
under  the  chapel  a  tomb  for  himself. 

His  body  was  placed  in  a  sitting  position  in  the  tomb 
on  his  death,  in  the  year  814. 

Nearly  two  hundred  years  afterward,  in  1001,  the 
emperor,  Otho  III.,  had  the  vault  opened ;  and  it  is  said 
that  the  body  of  the  great  emperor  was  found  in  a  won- 
derful state  of  preservation,  seated  on  a  marble  throne, 
dressed  in  imperial  robes,  with  his  crown  on  his  head, 
his  sword  by  his  side,  the  Gospels  lying  open  on  his  lap, 
and  his  sceptre  in  his  hand. 

A  large  picture,  representing  Otho  and  his  nobles 
gazing  on  the  dead  emperor,  is  painted  on  the  walls  of 
the  great  room  of  the  town-hall  at  Aix-la-Chapelle.  In 
the  year  1 165  the  Emperor  Barbarossa  had  the  vault 


62 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


again  opened;  and  in  1215  Frederick  II.  took  there- 
mains  from  the  vault,  and  put  them  in  a  casket  of  gold 
and  silver,  in  which  they  are  still  kept  in  the  treasury 
of  the  cathedral. 

The  marble  throne  on  which  the  dead  emperor  sat 
for  three  hundred  and  fifty  years  is  still  to  be  seen  in 
the  cathedral.  It  was  used  as  a  throne  at  the  corona- 
tion of  the  German  emperors  until  1558,  after  which 
the  emperors  were  crowned  at  Frankfort.  The  crown 
and  other  relics  found  with  the  body  are  preserved  in 
Vienna. 


46.    VICTOR  HUGO'S  OPINION  OF  CERTAIN  GREAT 
LITERARY  MEN. 

Victor  Hugo  (who  died  in  May,  1885)  said  that  the 
greatest  Pelasgian  was  Homer ;  the  greatest  Hellen, 
iEschylus ;  the  greatest  Hebrew,  Isaiah  ;  the  greatest 
Roman,  Juvenal;  the  greatest  Italian,  Dante;  and  the 
greatest  Briton,  Shakspeare. 

The  name  of  Homer  is  the  greatest  in  the  history  of 
epic  poetry.  He  was  an  Asiatic  Greek  :  seven  cities 
claimed  his  birth,  but  he  is  supposed  to  have  been  born 
at  Smyrna  (one  of  the  twelve  cities  of  the  Ionian  Con- 
federacy in  Asia),  which,  ten  times  destroyed,  has  risen 
ten  times  to  splendor.  Almost  every  trace  of  the 
ancient  city  is  now  destroyed ;  but  Smyrna  is  still  the 
emporium  of  the  Levant,  and  contains  a  hundred  and 
twenty  thousand  inhabitants. 

Homer  lived  some  time  between  1000  B.C.  and  850 
B.C.  :  this  is  as  near  as  we  can  come  to  the  date. 
He  is  called  the  greatest  Pelasgian,  though  born  at 
Smyrna,  because  Pelasgia  was  the  name  of  that  part  of 
ancient  Greece,  now  called  Thessaly,  where  it  is  certain 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


63 


that  the  greater  part  of  Homer's  life  was  spent,  and 
where  he  wrote  his  immortal  epics,  the  "  Iliad  "  and 
the  "Odyssey."  " Seven  cities  claimed  him  dead,  where 
Homer,  living,  begged  his  daily  bread." 

AZschilles,  or  AZschylus,  was  born  at  Eleusis  in  Attica 
(a  kingdom  in  that  part  of  Greece  called  Hella)  in 
the  year  525  B.C.,  and  died  at  Gela  in  Sicily,  456  B.C. 
He  is  called  the  "Father  of  Tragedy,"  also  "The  Shak- 
speare  of  the  Grecian  Drama."  He  wrote  ninety  trage- 
dies, forty  of  which  won  public  prizes.  He  was  the  first 
to  erect  a  regular  stage,  with  scenery  and  appropriate 
costumes.  He  was  killed  by  the  fall  of  a  tortoise, 
dropped  from  the  beak  of  an  eagle,  on  his  head. 

Isaiah  (Salvation)  was  one  of  the  four  greater  Hebrew 
prophets. 

We  know  not  his  name,  nor  of  what  tribe  he  was ;  but 
he  was  a  prophet  of  the  kingdom  of  Judah,  and  must 
have  been  an  old  man  in  the  time  of  Hezekiah,  who 
died  698  B.C.  Smith  says  of  him,  "His  mind  is  the 
most  sublime  and  variously  gifted  instrument  which  the 
Spirit  of  God  has  ever  employed  to  pour  forth  Its  Voice 
upon  the  world." 

Decimtis  Junius  Juvenalis  was  born  in  Aquinum  ; 
the  exact  date  of  his  birth  is  unknown;  but  he  was  a 
youth  in  the  time  of  Nero,  who  died  in  the  year  A.D.  68 ; 
and  he  was  a  writer  between  the  years  81  and  1 17. 

Juvenal,  the  Satirist  of  Indignation,  and  Horace,  the 
Satirist  of  Ridicule,  represent  the  two  schools  into 
which  satire  has  been  divided  ;  and  from  one  or  the 
other  every  classical  satirist  of  modern  Europe  derives 
his  descent. 

Among  Dryden's  masterpieces  are  his  versions  of 
five  satires  of  Juvenal. 

Dante  {Durante  Alighieri),  one  of  the  greatest  poets 


64 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


of  all  time,  and  always  the  greatest  among  the  Italians, 
was  born  in  Florence,  May  14,  1265,  and  died  in  Ra- 
venna, Sept.  14,  1 32 1. 

His  passionate  and  undying  love  for  Beatrice,  from 
the  time  he  was  nine  years  of  age,  became  the  fountain 
of  the  poetical  inspiration  of  his  life. 

His  immortal  work,  "The  Divina  Commedia,"  depicts 
a  vision  in  which  the  poet  is  conducted,  first,  by  Virgil, 
"the  representative  of  human  reason,"  through  hell  and 
purgatory ;  then  by  Beatrice,  the  representative  of  reve- 
lation ;  and  finally  by  St.  Bernard,  through  the  several 
heavens,  where  he  beholds  the  Triune  God. 

William  Shakspeare  was  born  April  23,  1564,  at 
Stratford-on-Avon,  in  Warwickshire,  England,  and  is 
the  chief  literary  glory  of  that  country. 

He  married  Anne  Hathaway,  and  had  two  daughters 
and  one  son  :  the  latter  did  not  survive  his  father. 

The  Germans  have  nationalized  Shakspeare  to  such 
an  extent,  that  their  enthusiasm  over  him  almost  ex- 
ceeds that  of  the  English ;  and  to  them  is  due  his  title 
of  "the  poet  par  excellence  of  the  whole  world." 

He  died  on  his  fifty-third  birthday,  in  1616. 

As  a  dramatist,  Shakspeare  is  without  a  peer ;  and 
only  one  or  two  poets  can  be  named  as  ranking  with 
him. 

No  edition  of  his  plays  was  published  until  after  his 
death.  Many  separate  plays  were  rudely  printed ;  but 
the  first  (folio)  edition  appeared  in  1623,  seven  years 
after  he  died.  The  few  remaining  copies  of  this  edition 
are  very  rare  and  costly. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


65 


47.    THE  SECOND  GREAT  PICTURE  OF  THE  WORLD. 

The  "  Last  Communion  of  St.  Jerome  "  by  Domeni- 
chino  is  the  masterpiece  of  this  master,  and  is  second 
only  to  the  "Transfiguration,"  being  placed  opposite 
to  it  in  the  Vatican. 

It  was  painted  for  the  monks  of  Ara  Coeli,  who  quar- 
relled with  the  artist,  and  shut  up  the  picture. 

They  commissioned  Poussin  to  paint  an  altar-piece 
for  their  church  ;  and,  instead  of  supplying  him  with 
fresh  canvas,  they  produced  the  picture  of  Domenichino, 
and  desired  him  to  paint  over  it. 

Poussin  indignantly  threw  up  his  engagement,  and 
made  known  the  existence  of  the  picture,  which  was 
afterwards  preserved  in  the  Church  of  St.  Girolamo  della 
Carita,  from  whence  it  was  carried  off  by  the  French. 

"The  aged  saint,  emaciated  and  dying,  is  borne  in 
the  arms  of  his  disciples  to  the  chapel  of  his  monastery 
at  Bethlehem,  and  placed  within  the  porch. 

"  He  is  represented  as  receiving  his  last  sacrament 
from  St.  Ephraim  of  Syria. 

"A  young  priest  sustains  him;  St.  Paula,  kneeling, 
kisses  one  of  his  hands  ;  a  deacon  holds  the  cup,  and  an 
attendant  priest  the  book. 

"The  lion  droops  his  head  with  an  expression  of  grief : 
the  eyes  of  all  are  on  the  dying  saint,  while  four  angels 
hovering  above  look  clown  upon  the  scene." 

A  noticeable  feature  in  the  picture  is,  that  the  candle 
is  ingeniously  bent,  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  the 
architectural  lines  of  the  picture,  while  the  flame  is 
straight. 

The  lion,  which  always  accompanies  Jerome  when  he 
is  represented  in  art,  is  said  to  have  pined  away  after 
Jerome's  death,  and  to  have  died  at  last  upon  his  grave. 


66 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


St.  Jerome  was  born  about  the  middle  of  the  fourth 

century. 

As  a  scholar  and  an  author,  he  takes  the  first  rank :  as 
a  theologian,  he  is  the  second  only  to  his  contempo- 
rary St.  Augustine,  among  the  Latin  Fathers.  His 
chief  work  is  his  Latin  translation  of  the  Scriptures. 

In  374  he  retired  to  the  desert  of  Chalcis,  where  he 
spent  four  years  in  study,  especially  that  of  the  Hebrew 
language. 

He  was  thus  prepared  to  produce  a  new  version  of 
the  Old  Testament. 

He  commenced  this  work  in  385,  and  completed  it 
in  405  ;  and  he  also  made  an  improved  translation  of 
the  New  Testament :  his  two  translations  together 
received  the  name  of  the  "Vulgate."  About  two  hun- 
dred years  after  Jerome's  death,  in  A.D.  420,  the  Vul- 
gate became  the  universally  received  version  of  the 
Church. 

Paula  was  one  of  St.  Jerome's  chief  converts  from 
among  the  wealthy  families  of  Rome.  She  founded 
four  convents  in  the  East,  and  became  so  celebrated  for 
her  holy  life,  that  after  her  death  she  was  canonized  as 
St.  Paula. 


48.   ROMAN-CATHOLIC  AND  PROTESTANT  SERVICE  HELD 
IN  THE  SAME  PLACE  AND  AT  THE  SAME  TIME. 

Religious  toleration  is  nowhere  more  plainly  set  forth 
than  in  Heidelberg,  an  ancient  city  of  Germany. 

One  of  the  most  important  buildings  of  the  town  is 
the  Church  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Through  the  middle  of 
this  church  a  partition  wall  has  been  run,  that  the  ser- 
vice according  to  the  Roman-Catholic  and  the  Protes- 
tant ritual  may  be  held  at  the  same  time. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


67 


In  the  year  17 19  an  effort  was  made  by  Charles 
Philip,  the  Elector,  to  deprive  the  Protestants  of  their 
half  of  the  church  ;  but  the  townspeople  made  so  strong 
a  resistance,  that  he  was  obliged,  not  only  to  desist,  but 
to  remove  the  Electoral  Court  from  Heidelberg  to 
Mannheim. 

Heidelberg  is  celebrated  chiefly  for  its  university, 
which  is  five  hundred  years  old,  and  has  still  one  hun- 
dred and  eight  professors,  and  more  than  seven  hundred 
students.  The  library  of  the  university  is  one  of  the 
largest  in  Germany,  and  has  many  very  old  and  valu- 
able manuscripts. 

Heidelberg  Castle  is  called  the  "  Alhambra  of  Ger- 
many," and  well  deserves  the  title.  Built  in  the  four- 
teenth century,  it  served  the  double  purpose  of  a  castle 
and  a  fortress  :  it  is  now  one  of  the  most  superb  ruins 
in  Europe. 

*  The  Great  Tun  of  Heidelberg  Castle  is  a  celebrated 
wine-cask,  holding  two  hundred  and  eighty-three  thou- 
sand bottles  of  wine;  and  it  is  known  to  have  been  filled 
three  times. 


49.    DEVOTION  OF  THE  WOMEN  OF  YVEINSBERG. 

During  the  wars  between  the  Guclphs  and  Ghibellincs, 
a  battle  was  fought  (1140)  between  the  Emperor  Kon- 
rad  III.  and  Welf,  brother  of  Heinrich  the  Proud,  at 
the  foot  of  Weinsberg,  a  hill  crowned  with  a  castle 
on  the  banks  of  the  Neckar;  and  in  this  battle, 
"Welf"  (Guelph)  and  "Waibling"  (Ghibelline)  were 
first  used. 

The  victory  fell  to  Konrad,  and  he  besieged  the  cas- 
tle until  those  within  offered  to  surrender. 

All  the  men  were  to  be  made  prisoners  ;  but  the 


68 


( 1  f  'RIO  US  Q  UES  TIONS. 


women  were  to  go  away  in  peace,  with  as  much  of  their 
treasure  as  each  could  carry. 

All  Konrad's  army  was  drawn  up  to  leave  free  pas- 
sage for  the  ladies,  the  emperor  at  their  head,  when, 
behold,  a  wonderful  procession  came  down  the  hill  ! 
Each  woman  carried  on  her  back  her  greatest  treasure, 
—  husband,  son,  father,  or  brother. 

Some  were  angry  at  this,  as  a  trick ;  but  Konrad  was 
touched,  granted  safety  to  all,  and  not  only  gave  free- 
dom to  the  men,  but  sent  the  women  back  to  get  the 
wealth  they  had  left  behind. 

The  hill  was  called  Weibertreu,  or  Woman's  Truth  ; 
and  in  1820  Charlotte,  Queen  of  Wurtemberg,  daughter 
of  George  III.,  with  other  ladies  of  Germany,  built  an 
asylum  there  for  poor  women  who  have  been  noted  for 
self-sacrificing  acts  of  love. 


50.    SEVEN  LAMPS. 

"The  Seven  Lamps  of  Architecture"  by  Ruskin 
appeared  in  1849.  The  whole  design  of  the  work  seems 
to  be  an  effort  to  introduce  a  new  and  higher  concep- 
tion of  the  significance  of  architecture.  It  is  beauti- 
fully written,  and  finely  illustrated  by  the  author  him- 
self.   The  seven  lamps  are  as  follows  :  — 

The  Lamp  of  Sacrifice, 

The  Lamp  of  Truth. 

The  Lamp  of  Power. 

The  Lamp  of  Beauty.  # 
The  Lamp  of  Life. 
The  Lamp  of  Memory. 
The  Lamp  of  Obedience. 

John  Ruskin,  an  English  author,  was  born  in  Lon- 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


69 


don,  in  18 19.  Nearly  all  of  his  works  relate  to  the 
arts  of  painting,  sculpture,  and  architecture.  In  all 
three  branches  he  is  considered  high  authority.  He 
studied  at  Christ  Church,  Oxford,  where  he  gained  the 
Newdigate  prize  for  English  poetry  in  1839,  and  took 
his  degree  in  1842. 

The  following  year  appeared  the  first  volume  of  his 
"  Modern  Painters."  The  fifth  and  last  volume  of  this 
work  was  not  published  until  i860.  The  unequalled 
splendor  of  Ruskin's  style  has  given  him  the  first  place 
among  writers  on  art.  In  1871  the  University  of  Cam- 
bridge conferred  on  him  the  degree  of  LL.D. 

In  his  latest  and  complete  edition  of  his  works,  anno- 
tated with  great  care  and  fidelity,  he  abandons  many 
of  his  early  positions,  and  reverses  his  former  judg- 
ments, daring  to  acknowledge  that  in  his  development 
he  has  seen  reason  to  change  his  views. 


51.    THE  ART  OF  ARTS. 

The  blind  man's  judgment  was  just,  when,  having 
felt  first  a  statue,  and  then  a  painting  of  the  same  fig- 
ure, he  remarked,  "  If  this  flat  surface  looks  like  that 
round  one,  then  this  is  the  greater  art." 

Painting  is  called  "  The  Art  of  Arts  ; "  for  to  be  a 
successful  painter  necessitates  a  knowledge  of  drawing, 
sculpture,  and  architecture.  While  the  sculptor  and 
architect  make  forms,  the  painter,  without  making 
them,  presents  them  to  the  eye. 

Pliny  states  that  "  Gyges  the  Lydian "  introduced 
painting  into  Egypt,  and  adds,  "  The  Egyptians  affirm 
that  the  art  was  invented  among  themselves  several 
thousand  years  before  it  passed  into  Greece." 


JO  CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 

The  formative  period  of  Grecian  painting  covers 
about  seven  hundred  years,  —  from  the  fall  of  Troy 
(1184  B.C.)  to  the  restoration  of  the  Athenian  Democ- 
racy (510  B.C.). 


52.    CHARLES  II. 

"  Who  never  said  a  foolish  thing, 
And  never  did  a  wise  one." 

After  the  death  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  his  son  Richard 
was  acknowledged  his  successor. 

But,  as  Richard  possessed  neither  the  energy  nor  the 
ambition  of  his  father,  he  resigned  the  office  of  Pro- 
tector, and  retired  to  private  life  :  this  left  England  for 
a  time  in  a  state  of  anarchy.  Then  came  the  "  Res- 
toration," when  Charles  II.  was  received  by  the  nation 
with  joy  amounting  almost  to  frenzy.  The  first  year 
of  his  reign  (1660)  was  called  the  twelfth,  dating  back 
from  the  time  of  his  father's  death. 

Charles  II.  was  a  man  of  considerable  ability;  but  he 
preferred  pleasure  to  business,  and  was  therefore  called 
"The  Merry  Monarch." 

He  understood  the  interests  of  his  kingdom,  how- 
ever, better  than  any  of  his  ministers ;  and  he  was  well 
aware  of  the  fact,  as  is  shown  by  his  witty  reply  to  an 
epigram  written  by  a  member  of  his  court :  — 

"  Here  lies  our  sovereign  lord,  the  king, 
Whose  word  no  man  relies  on ; 
Who  never  said  a  foolish  thing, 
And  never  did  a  wise  one." 

"That  is  very  true,"  said  the  king  when  it  was  shown 
to  him  ;  "  for  my  words  are  my  own :  my  actions  are 
my  ministry's." 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


71 


53.    THE  BATTLE  OF  NATIONS. 

Many  battles  have  been  fought  on  the  plain  which 
lios  around  the  city  of  Leipsic,  but  none  more  impor- 
tant in  the  world's  history  than  the  "Battle  of  Nations," 
German  Volkerschlacht,  which  took  place  Oct.  16,  18 13, 
between  Napoleon  with  his  allied  nations,  and  the  allied 
powers  of  Russia,  Prussia,  Austria,  Sweden,  Denmark, 
and  England. 

When  Alexander  I.  of  Russia  refused,  in  1812,  to 
concur  in  Napoleon's  scheme  of  excluding  British  com- 
merce from  the  whole  European  continent,  it  so  offended 
the  emperor,  that  he  resolved  to  march  against  Russia 
with  all  the  force  of  the  territories  under  his  dominion. 
"In  that  way,"  says  Professor  Heeren,  "a  storm  of 
nations  arose  (about  twenty  were  united  under  the 
standard  of  the  conqueror)  unparalleled  in  history 
since  the  expedition  of  Xerxes  and  Attila."  Upon  the 
invasion  of  his  dominion,  Alexander  at  once  made  allies 
of  the  Turks,  and  could  have  met  his  foe  with  an  equal 
number  of  nations,  if  he  had  had  time  to  summon  them 
from  the  mountains  and  deserts  of  Asia. 

All  of  his  troops  (divided  into  three  armies)  did  not 
equal  those  of  his  enemy,  which  amounted  to  nearly 
half  a  million  ;  but  the  whole  Russian  army  manifested 
the  most  determined  purpose  to  resist  the  hated  invad- 
ers, and  to  engage  God  and  religion  on  the  side  of 
Russia.  They  made  an  entire  consecration  of  the  em- 
pire and  the  church  to  the  God  of  battles. 

The  Russians  retreated  before  the ,  French,  until 
at  last,  on  the  14th  and  15th  of  September,  1812, 
Napoleon,  with  his  victorious  army,  entered  Moscow, 
and  took  possession  of  the  Kremlin,  the  ancient  resi- 
dence of  the  czars. 


72 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Here  Napoleon  reached  the  limit  of  his  expedition 
and  the  grave  of  his  greatness. 

Moscow,  fired  by  its  own  citizens,  fell  a  victim  for 
the  Emperor  of  Russia ;  but  in  its  pillars  of  fire  the 
first  dawn  of  freedom  shone  over  shackled  Europe. 

When  three-fourths  of  Moscow  was  consumed,  an 
unconquerable  Russian  army  appeared  before  it.  Never 
was  a  disappointment  more  sudden  or  more  bitter. 
Napoleon  gave  the  order  for  retreat,  and  a  retreat  more 
disastrous  is  nowhere  recorded  in  history. 

Alexander  pursued  the  enemy  beyond  the  borders 
of  his  empire,  and  there  gave  the  signal  for  that  union 
of  European  powers  which  ended  the  campaign  with 
the  battle  of  Leipsic,  the  greatest  battle  of  modern 
history. 

The  signal  defeat  of  the  French  emperor  left  the 
way  open  to  Paris,  which  in  1814  was  entered  by  the 
respective  sovereigns,  who  compelled  Napoleon  to  abdi- 
cate, and  restored  the  House  of  Bourbon  to  the  throne. 
The  renown  of  Alexander  was  now  complete,  as  the 
providential  deliverer  of  Europe. 


54.    DON  QUIXOTE. 

The  object  of  Cervantes  in  writing  "  Don  Quixote  " 
was,  as  he  himself  declares,  "to  render  abhorred  of  men 
the  false  and  absurd  stories  contained  in  the  books  of 
chivalry." 

The  fanaticism  caused  by  these  romances  was  so 
great  in  Spain  during  the  sixteenth  century,  that  the 
burning  of  all  extant  copies  was  earnestly  requested 
by  the  Cortes  (or  Legislature  of  the  realm). 

To  destroy  a  passion  that  had  taken  such  deep  root 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


73 


among  all  classes,  to  break  up  the  only  reading  which 
(at  that  time)  was  fashionable  and  popular,  was  a  bold 
undertaking,  yet  one  in  which  Cervantes  succeeded. 

No  books  of  chivalry  were  written  after  the  appear- 
ance of  "Don  Quixote;"  and  from  that  time  those  in 
existence  have  been  steadily  disappearing,  until  now 
they  are  among  the  rarest  of  literary  curiosities. 

This  is  a  solitary  instance  of  the  power  of  genius  to 
destroy,  by  a  well-aimed  blow,  an  entire  department  of 
literature. 

This  romance,  which  Cervantes  threw  so  carelessly 
from  his  pen,  and  which  he  only  regarded  as  an  effort 
to  break  up  the  absurd  fancies  about  chivalry,  has  now 
become  the  oldest  specimen  of  romantic  fiction,  and  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  monuments  of  modern  genius. 

Ten  years  after  its  appearance  Cervantes  published 
the  second  part  of  "  Don  Quixote,"  which  is  even  better 
than  the  first.  It  was  written  in  his  old  age,  when  in 
prison,  and  finished  when  he  felt  the  hand  of  death 
pressing  cold  and  heavy  upon  him  ;  so  that  both  admira- 
tion and  reverence  are  due  to  the  living  power  of  "  Don 
Quixote"  and  to  the  genius  of  Cervantes. 

A  second  intention  or  application  of  the  poet  was  to 
depict  in  "Don  Quixote"  all  or  any  forms  of  ill-judged, 
visionary  enthusiasm,  as  contrasted  with  even  the  sim- 
plest solid  sense  of  honest  Sancho  Panza.  So  while  in 
one  sense  it  is  true  that 

"  Cervantes  laughed  Spain's  chivalry  away," 

in  a  larger  view  he  has  presented  so  telling  a  satire 
upon  the  faults  and  foibles  of  human  nature,  that  "  Don 
Quixote"  has  done  great  good  as  a  practical  treatise  and 
moral  philosophy. 


74 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


55.    THE  COSTLIEST  PICTURE  IN  THE  WORLD. 

The  Blenheim  Madonna,  painted  by  Raphael  in  1507, 
and  now  valued  at  three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars,  is  considered  the  costliest  picture  in  the  world. 

It  belongs  to  the  Duke  of  Marlborough,  who  has  a 
large  and  very  expensive  collection  of  paintings,  which 
has  come  down  to  him  from  the  original  Duke  of  Marl- 
borough. 

It  has  been  proposed  to  the  British  Government,  to 
purchase  this  celebrated  Madonna,  which  was  originally 
painted  for  the  Church  of  the  Servi  at  Perugia. 

The  picture  is  eight  feet  high,  representing  the  Ma- 
donna and  Child  seated  upon  a  throne,  with  a  figure  of 
St.  John  the  Baptist  on  the  left,  and  that  of  St.  Nicolas 
of  Bari  on  the  right,  the  last  two  being  apparently  life- 
size. 

Its  high  valuation  arises  from  the  fact  of  its  being 
one  of  the  best  preserved  specimens  of  Raphael's  paint- 
ing extant. 

It  is  called  the  "Blenheim  Madonna"  from  its  being 
in  Blenheim  Palace,  which  is  the  residence  of  the  Duke 
of  Marlborough,  and  one  of  the  most  costly  and  magnifi- 
cent buildings  in  Europe. 

After  the  victory  won  by  the  English  under  the  Duke 
of  Marlborough,  over  the  French,  at  Blenheim,  Bavaria, 
in  1704,  Queen  Anne  gave  Marlborough  a  large  tract  of 
land  near  Oxford,  called  Woodstock,  on  which  he 
erected  the  palace  (called  Blenheim  in  memory  of  the 
battle).  It  still  belongs  to  his  descendants  ;  and  every 
year  the  duke  sends  to  Windsor  Castle,  as  a  kind  of 
rent,  a  little  flag  worked  with  a  French  fleur-de-lis, 
which  is  hung  up  in  one  of  the  halls  of  the  castle. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


75 


56.    THE  MENTONE  MAN. 

This  man  was  a  Frenchman  ;  or  at  least  his  skeleton 
was  found  in  a  cave  at  Mentone,  near  Nice,  in  France. 

The  skeleton  was  almost  perfect  when  found  (March, 
1872),  and  showed  its  owner  to  have  been  a  tall,  well- 
formed,  good-looking  man,  with  an  average  skull,  and  a 
facial  angle  of  eighty-five  degrees. 

The  antiquity  of  this  skeleton  is  undoubted  ;  for  his 
bones  are  associated  with  those  of  the  cave-lion,  cave- 
bear,  and  other  extinct  animals. 

The  bones  of  this  skeleton  were  all  in  place,  sur- 
rounded by  flint  implements  and  the  bones  of  animals 
supposed  to  have  been  killed  by  him.  Twenty-two  per- 
forated teeth  lay  by  his  head,  and  arc  supposed  to  have 
formed  a  chaplet. 

His  name  is,  of  course,  unknown  ;  but  his  bones,  with 
the  Dutchman's  skull  found  in  a  cave  near  Engis,  are 
the  oldest  known  human  bones  in  existence. 

They  are  great  aids  in  proving  that  ancient  races  had 
as  much  brain-room  as  ourselves,  and  were  not  a  mere 
development  of  a  lower  race  of  animals. 


57.    THE  COSSACKS. 

The  word  cossack  means  robber.  Their  name  was 
given  to  them  by  the  Turks. 

They  are  a  race,  in  manners,  in  appearance,  and  in 
language,  like  the  Russians,  yet  they  are  said  not  to  be 
akin  to  them. 

There  are  two  tribes  of  Cossacks,  —  those  of  Little 
Russia,  and  the  Don  Cossacks.  They  are  said  to  be 
the  most  unscrupulous  robbers  in  the  world.    They  are 


;6 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


famous  horsemen,  and  the  Czar  of  Russia  largely  exe- 
cutes his  imperial  commands  by  means  of  the  Cossack 
cavalry. 

They  have  lately  been  styled  the  "  Spies  of  the 
Czar,"  and  they  keep  the  Nihilists  in  greater  check 
than  any  other  power  in  Russia.  There  are  1,900,000 
Cossacks  in  Russia  at  the  present  time. 

That  part  of  Russia  bordering  on  Poland  is  called 
the  "  Ukraine,"  and  it  was  to  the  Ukraine  that  the  wild 
horse  in  Byron's  poem  is  said  to  have  carried  Mazeppa 
(a  Don  Cossack).  Mazeppa  was  born  in  1645  J  ne  was 
descended  from  a  noble  Polish  family :  but,  for  an  in- 
sult offered  the  wife  of  a  Polish  nobleman,  he  was  con- 
demned to  be  bound  upon  a  wild  horse,  with  his  head  to 
the  horse's  tail,,  to  be  borne  away,  and  left  to  his  fate. 

The  horse  carried  him  towards  the  Ukraine ;  but, 
instead  of  his  being  killed,  he  was  rescued  by  the  Cos- 
sacks, and  soon  became  their  Hetman,  or  chief. 

Eventually  he  won  the  confidence  of  Peter  the  Great, 
and  was  appointed  by  him  "Prince  of  the  Ukraine." 

But,  when  the  freedom  of  the  Cossacks  was  curtailed, 
Mazeppa  conceived  the  idea  of  throwing  off  allegiance 
to  the  Czar,  and  for  this  purpose  joined  his  forces  with 
those  of  Charles  XII.  of  Sweden.  He  was  taken  pris- 
oner in  the  battle  of  Pultowa,  and  condemned  for  trea- 
son ;  but  he  escaped,  and  fled  to  Bender,  Turkey,  where 
he  died  in  1709. 

The  story  of  Mazeppa  has  been  made  the  subject  of 
a  poem  by  Lord  Byron,  of  a  novel  by  Bulgarin,  and  of 
two  celebrated  pictures  painted  by  Horace  Vernet. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


77 


58.    AN  ODD  CUSTOM:  "TELLING  THE  BEES." 

The  beautiful  poem  by  Whittier,  called  "  Telling  the 
Bees,"  from  which  the  following  stanzas  are  taken,  was 
founded  upon  an  odd  custom  brought  from  the  old 
country,  and  which  prevailed  for  a  time  in  the  rural  dis- 
tricts of  New  England. 

On  the  death  of  a  member  of  the  family,  the  bees 
were  at  once  informed  of  the  event,  and  their  hives 
draped  with  mourning.  This  ceremony  was  supposed 
to  be  necessary  to  prevent  the  swarms  from  leaving 
their  hives,  and  seeking  a  new  home. 

"  Before  them  under  the  garden  wall, 
Forward  and  back, 
Went  drearily  singing  the  chore-girl  small, 
Draping  each  hive  with  a  shred  of  black. 

Trembling,  I  listened :  the  summer  sun 

Had  the  chill  of  snow, 
For  I  knew  she  was  telling  the  bees  of  one 

Gone  on  the  journey  we  all  must  go. 


And  the  song  she  was  singing,  ever  since 

In  my  ear  sounds  on  :  — 
'  Stay  at  home,  pretty  bees,  fly  not  hence ! 

Mistress  Mary  is  dead  and  gone  ! '  " 


59.    A  HUGUENOT  EXEMPTED  FROM  THE  MASSACRE. 

Bernard  Palissy,  born  in  Agen,  France,  in  15 10,  was 
the  first  to  rediscover  the  art  of  producing  white 
enamel.  He  was  the  leading  representative  of  French 
ceramic  art  in  the  sixteenth  century  ;  was  an  origina- 
tor, and  his  life  is  characterized  as  "the  great  romance" 
in  the  history  of  ceramics. 


7S 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


An  enamelled  cup  of  "  faience,"  which  he  saw  by- 
chance,  inspired  him  with  the  resolution  to  rediscover 
the  mode  of  producing  white  enamel.  Neglecting  all 
other  duties,  he  devoted  himself  to  this  one  object  for 
sixteen  years.  He  had  exhausted  all  his  resources,  and, 
for  want  of  money  to  buy  fuel,  was  reduced  to  the  ne- 
cessity of  burning  his  household  furniture  piece  by 
piece ;  his  neighbors  laughed  at  him ;  his  wife  over- 
whelmed him  with  reproaches,  and  his  starving  children 
surrounded  him  crying  for  bread  ;  but,  in  spite  of  all 
these  discouragements,  he  persisted  in  the  search  until 
his  labors  were  rewarded  with  success. 

A  few  pieces  sold  for  high  prices,  and  enabled  him 
to  complete  his  investigations,  after  which  he  became 
famous,  —  famous  at  the  expense  of  an  injured  wife,  a 
broken  family,  and  a  row  of  little  graves. 

His  second  success  was  a  jasper  glaze,  which  shows 
a  mixture  of  brown,  white,  and  blue.  His  third  success, 
an  achievement  which  brought  him  enduring  fame,  was 
the  manufacture  of  "  Rustiques  Figulines,"  which  con- 
sisted of  curiously  shaped  dishes  and  vases,  ornamented 
with  shells,  frogs,  lizards,  snakes,  fishes  of  many  varie- 
ties, and  leaves.  These  are  now  best  known  by  the 
imitations.  Barbizet  claims  to  have  rediscovered  Pal- 
issy's  method,  which  was  lost  as  a  specialty  upon  the 
death  of  his  immediate  family. 

Palissy  aimed  at  absolute  truth  to  nature :  his  moulds 
were  formed  from  living  specimens,  and  he  reproduced 
the  exact  colors  of  his  models.  Having  become  a  Prot- 
estant, he  was  thrown  into  prison,  in  Bordeaux,  but  was 
released  by  King  Charles  IX.,  in  order  to  become  "  Pot- 
ter to  the  King."  Under  royal  protection  he  removed 
to  Paris,  and  set  up  his  works  in  a  place  called  from  his 
tile-kilns  "Tuileries."    Afterwards,  when  the  palace  of 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


79 


the  king  was  built  there,  it  retained  the  name  ;  and  the 
royal  residence  has  ever  since  been  known  as  the  "  Pal- 
ace of  the  Tuileries." 

Palissy,  having  been  employed  to  ornament  the  gar- 
dens of  the  palace,  was  specially  exempted  by  Catherine 
de'  Medici,  Queen  of  Henry  II.,  from  the  massacre  of 
St.  Bartholomew,  Aug.  24,  1572. 

In  1575  he  commenced  a  course  of  lectures  on  natu- 
ral history  and  physics.  He  gave  the  first  right  notions 
of  the  origin  of  springs,  and  the  formation  of  stones 
and  fossil  shells.  These,  with  his  theories  regarding 
the  best  method  of  purifying  water,  have  been  fully 
supported  by  recent  discovery  and  investigations. 

In  1588  he  was  arrested  as  a  heretic,  and  thrown  into 
the  Bastile,  but  died  in  1590  before  his  sentence  was 
pronounced. 


60.    BROTHER  JONATHAN. 

The  origin  of  this  term,  as  applied  to  the  United 
States,  is  as  follows  :  — 

When  Gen.  Washington,  after  being  appointed  com- 
mander of  the  army  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  went  to 
Massachusetts  to  organize  it,  he  found  a  great  want  of 
ammunition,  and  other  means  for  its  defence;  and  on 
one  occasion  it  seemed  that  no  means  could  be  devised 
for  the  necessary  safety. 

Jonathan  Trumbull  the  elder  was  then  governor  of 
the  State  of  Connecticut  ;  and  the  general,  placing  the 
greatest  reliance  on  his  Excellency's  judgment,  re- 
marked, "  We  must  consult  Brother  Jonathan  on  the 
subject." 

The  general  did  so,  and  the  governor  was  success- 
ful in  supplying  many  of  the  wants  of  the  army;  and 


8o 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


thenceforth,  when  difficulties  arose,  and  the  army  was 
spread  over  the  country,  it  became  a  by-phrase,  "We 
must  consult  Brother  Jonathan  : "  and  the  name  has  now 
become  a  designation  for  the  whole  country,  as  "  John 
Bull "  for  England. 


61.    WILLIAM  AND  MARY. 

Mary  was  the  daughter  of  James  II.,  and  William  his 
nephew  and  son-in-law :  had  James  been  acceptable  to 
the  English  people,  they,  as  Prince  and  Princess  of 
Orange,  would  have  had  but  slight  mention  in  history. 

Their  reign  as  joint  monarchs  of  Great  Britain  forms 
a  great  epoch  in  English  history,  called  "  The  Glorious 
Revolution  of  1688." 

James  II.  had  attempted  to  re-establish  the  Roman- 
Catholic  religion  in  England;  but  the  majority  of  the 
English  people  being  thoroughly  Protestant,  James  lost 
favor,  and  was  finally  forced  to  abdicate,  and  take  refuge 
in  France. 

In  contracting  for  a  marriage  with  Mary,  William  had 
stipulated,  that,  if  she  inherited  her  father's  throne,  he 
should  reign  as  joint  heir  of  the  kingdom  in  title  from 
Charles  I.  ;  otherwise  he  would  return  to  Holland,  and 
remain  "  Prince  of  Orange,"  this  being  a  part  of  the 
marriage  contract :  when  in  1688  both  Houses  of  Par- 
liament elected  the  Prince  and  Princess  of  Orange  to  be 
king  and  queen  conjointly,  it  was  in  fulfilment  of  this 
previous  promise.  The  administration  of  affairs  was  to 
be  held  in  the  hands  of  William,  but  all  acts  of  the  reign 
were  proclaimed  in  the  name  of  "William  and  Mary." 

After  they  had  reigned  six  years,  Mary  died  of  small- 
pox in  1694.    William  was  then  called  "William  III.," 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


81 


and  ruled  between  seven  and  eight  years  longer,  when 
he  was  killed  by  a  fall  from  his  horse  in  1702.  The 
Roman  Catholics  supported  James  II.  in  his  attempt 
to  recover  the  throne,  while  the  Protestants  took  the 
part  of  William  III.  :  the  latter  were  therefore  called 
"  Orangemen."  James  II.  was  utterly  defeated  at  the 
battle  of  the  Boyne,  July  12,  1690. 

The  day  is  still  celebrated  as  "Orangemen's  Day"  by 
the  Protestant  Irish,  and  it  seldom  passes  without  a 
conflict  between  them  and  the  Roman-Catholic  Irish. 
Even  at  this  late  day,  and  in  America,  there  have  fre- 
quently been  demonstrations  of  hostility  between  the 
two  parties,  which  have  required  great  coolness  and 
firmness  on  the  part  of  the  municipal  authorities  to 
calm  down. 


62.    "LUCREZIA  BORGIA." 

This  opera  is  founded  upon  Victor  Hugo's  drama  of 
"  Lucrece  Borgia,"  and  was  composed  by  Gaetano  Doni- 
zetti in  1834. 

The  scene  passes  in  Venice  and  Ferrara.  Lucrezia, 
wife  of  Don  Alfonso,  Duke  of  Ferrara,  impelled  by  some 
irresistible  feeling,  follows  Gennaro,  a  young  man  sup- 
posed to  be  the  son  of  a  poor  fisherman,  to  Venice, 
where  she  becomes  convinced  that  he  is  her  son.  The 
duke,  however,  not  knowing  her  secret,  becomes  jealous, 
and  determines  to  get  rid  of  him. 

Gennaro  is  taunted  by  some  of  his  companions  with 
being  the  lover  of  Lucrezia ;  and  having  no  respect  or 
attachment  for  the  haughty  and  cruel  woman,  in  a  fit 
of  rage  he  insults  her  by  defacing  her  name  on  the  pal- 
ace-gates. Lucrezia  is  informed  of  this  by  her  spy, 
Gubetta,  and  demands  from  her  husband  that  the  cul- 


82 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


prit  shall  be  punished  with  death  :  this  he  readily 
promises,  believing  him  to  be  his  wife's  lover.  The 
prisoner  is  brought  in,  and  Lucrezia  is  horrified  at 
beholding  Gennaro. 

The  duke,  mistaking  the  cause  of  her  emotion,  insists 
on  her  deciding  the  manner  of  his  death. 

She  chooses  poison,  mixes  it  in  his  wine,  and  presents 
it  to  him.  The  duke,  satisfied,  leaves  him  to  die,  when 
Lucrezia  compels  Gennaro  to  swallow  an  antidote,  as- 
sists him  to  escape,  and  begs  him  to  leave  Ferrara  at 
once.  This  he  is  about  to  do,  but  is  induced  by  his 
friend  Orsini  to  remain  for  a  fete  given  by  the  courte- 
san, Negroni.  During  the  evening  goblets  of  wine  are 
brought  in,  which  the  guests  partake  of. 

Lucrezia  then  enters,  and  informs  them  that  they  are 
all  poisoned ;  giving  as  a  reason  for  the  act,  the  insult 
offered  to  her  at  Venice.  Gennaro  appears,  to  her  great 
anguish,  she  thinking  that  he  had  left  the  city  ;  and  she 
again  tries  to  save  him  with  the  antidote,  which  he  re- 
fuses unless  she  will  also  save  his  friends.  This  she  is 
unable  to  do,  but  urges  him  to  save  himself,  informing 
him  that  he  is  a  Borgia,  and  she  is  his  mother.  He 
tells  her  it  is  now  too  late,  and  falls  lifeless  before  her. 

The  duke  and  attendants  enter  just  as  Lucrezia 
throws  herself,  dying,  on  the  body  of  her  son. 

Gaetano  Donizetti,  the  author  of  this  opera, — and 
sixty  other  operas, — was  born  in  Bergamo,  Sept.  25, 
1798,  and  died  there,  April  8,  1848.  Among  his  most 
famous  operas  are  "  La  Favorita,"  "  Lucia  di  Lammer- 
moor,"  "  La  Fille  du  Regiment,"  "Don  Pasquale."  He 
wrote  his  last  opera,  "  Don  Sebastian,"  in  two  months, 
and  said  at  the  time,  "  'Don  Sebastian  '  will  be  the  death 
of  me."  Soon  after  it  was  finished  he  had  a  stroke  of 
paralysis,  and  ended  his  days  in  a  lunatic-asylum. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


«3 


63.    THE  GREAT  WALL  OF  CHINA. 

About  three  centuries  after  the  time  of  Confucius, 
and  two  centuries  before  Christ,  a  great  warrior,  called 
Chi-hoang-ti,  was  emperor  of  China;  and  for  the  purpose 
of  putting  a  stop  to  the  incursions  of  the  Tartars,  Kal- 
mucks, and  other  tribes  from  the  north,  he  caused  the 
Great  Wall  —  fifteen  hundred  miles  in  length  —  to  be 
erected  along  the  northern  frontier  of  his  dominions. 
It  required  ten  years  to  build  the  wall,  which  is  now 
mostly  in  ruins. 

In  the  emperor's  haste  to  complete  it,  he  caused  the 
deaths  of  tens  of  thousands  of  his  laborers  from  over- 
work ;  and  his  name  is  an  object  of  hatred  among  the 
Chinese  to  the  present  day. 

The  wall  proved  utterly  useless  as  a  means  of  de- 
fence, as  the  conquest  of  China  was  effected  during  the 
reign  of  the  immediate  successors  of  Chi-hoang-ti.  It 
is  interesting  to  know  that  the  name  China  (unknown 
by  the  inhabitants  of  the  country)  comes  from  the 
house  from  which  the  builder  of  the  Great  Wall  was 
descended. 

Chi-hoang-ti  was  a  usurper  of  the  throne  of  China, 
and  murdered  all  who  were  of  royal  blood :  he  not  only 
took  the  title  of  Chi-hoang-ti,  or  First  Emperor,  but.  he 
used  every  means  to  make  the  title  permanent ;  even 
issuing  an  order  for  all  records  previous  to  his  time  to 
be  destroyed. 

He  was  especially  anxious  that  the  writings  of  Confu- 
cius and  Mencius  should  be  destroyed  ;  and  fearing  that 
some  of  the  learned  men  might  rewrite  those  works 
from  memory,  he  caused  one  hundred  of  the  literati  to 
be  executed. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


64.    A  PUN  THAT  COST  A  LIFE. 

According  to  Stowe,  Sir  William  Collingborne  was 
executed  in  1484  for  writing  the  following  pun,  which, 
\n  his  day,  was  considered  excellent  wit :  — 

"  The  Rat,  the  Cat,  and  Lovel  the  dog, 
Rule  all  England  under  the  Hog." 

This  was  during  the  reign  of  Richard  III.  of 
England. 

The  chief  agents  of  his  wicked  schemes  were  Catesby, 
Ratcliff,  and  Lovel.  Lovel  was  a  common  name  for  a 
dog    On  the  escutcheon  of  the  king  was  a  white  boar. 


65.    THE  "PILLAR-SAINTS." 

These  people  were  also  called  "  Stylites "  (Greek, 
stylos,  a  column)  and  "Air-Martyrs,"  and  were  a  very 
remarkable  class  of  ascetics,  living  chiefly  in  Syria,  who, 
with  a  view  to  separating  themselves  more  completely 
irom  the  earth  and  their  fellow-men,  took  up  their  abode 
on  the  tops  of  pillars,  upon  which  they  remained  during 
the  rest  of  their  lives. 

The  earliest  and  most  celebrated,  called  Simeon  the 
Stylite,  had  been  a  monk,  and  had  lived  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  fifth  century  in  extreme  seclusion. 

Finally  he  withdrew  to  a  place  forty  miles  from  An- 
tioch,  where  he  built  a  pillar,  on  the  top  of  which  he 
took  up  his  abode,  with  his  neck  loaded  with  chains. 
From  this  pillar  he  removed  to  several  others  in  suc- 
cession, each  higher  than  the  preceding  one,  until  he 
attained  a  height  of  sixty  feet.  He  died  on  this  last 
pillar,  A.D.  460,  aged  seventy-two  years. 

Simeon  the  Stylite  had  many  followers,  the  most 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


8? 


celebrated  of  whom  was  named  Daniel :  he  erected 
his  pillar  on  the  shores  of  the  Bosphorus,  four  miles 
from  the  city  of  Constantinople,  and  maintained  his 
mode  of  life  for  thirty-three  years,  in  a  most  trying  cli- 
mate, sometimes  being  covered  with  snow  and  ice.  He 
lived  until  the  year  494. 

In  Syria  there  were  many  "  Pillar-Saints;"  but  in  the 
West,  Daniel  was  the  solitary  representative. 

Tennyson  has  written  a  poem  called  "St.  Simeon 
Stylites,"  which  is  in  brief  the  story  of  the  saint,  his 
philosophy,  his  impulses,  and  his  hopes,  as  told  by 
himself  :  — 

"Then,  that  I  might  be  more  alone  with  Thee, 
Three  years  I  lived  upon  a  pillar,  high 
Six  cubits,  and  three  years  on  one  of  twelve ; 
And  twice  three  years  I  crouched  on  one  that  rose 
Twenty  by  measure ;  last  of  all,  I  grew, 
Twice  ten  long  weary,  weary  years  to  this, 
That  numbers  forty  cubits  from  the  soil. 

Ah  !  let  me  not  be  fooled,  sweet  saints  :  I  trust 
That  I  am  whole  and  clean,  and  meet  for  heaven. 
Speak,  if  there  be  a  priest,  a  man  of  God, 
Among  you  there,  and  let  him  presently 
Approach,  and  lean  a  ladder  on  the  shaft, 
And  climbing  up  into  my  airy  home, 
Deliver  me  the  blessed  sacrament; 
For  by  the  warning  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
I  prophesy  that  I  shall  die  to-night, 
A  quarter  before  twelve." 


66.    THE  SEVEN  SLEEPERS  OF  EPHESUS. 

During  the  seventh  persecution  of  the  Christians 
under  the  Emperor  Decius  (A.D.  250),  seven  young 
men,  converts  to  Christianity,  refused  to  bow  down 


86 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


before  an  idol  erected  by  order  of  the  Emperor  at 

Ephesus. 

They  fled  to  a  cavern  in  Mount  Celion ;  and  Decius, 
enraged  at  their  escape,  ordered  all  the  caves  in  the 
mountain  to  be  sealed  up. 

Nothing  was  heard  of  the  young  men  for  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty  years,  when  they  were  accidentally 
discovered  by  some  workmen  who  were  digging  the 
foundation  of  a  building. 

They  awoke  from  their  long  sleep  ;  and  the  antiquity 
of  the  coin  which  they  offered,  that  some  one  should 
bring  them  food,  attracted  the  attention  of  the  authori- 
ties. 

They  died  soon  after  being  discovered ;  and  their 
bodies  were  taken  to  Marseilles  in  a  large  stone  coffin, 
still  to  be  seen  in  St.  Victor's  Church. 

The  preservation  of  these  young  men  was  declared 
to  be  a  miracle,  and  the  27th  of  July  was  appointed  as 
a  festival  day  in  honor  of  it. 

The  names  of  the  young  men  were,  Constantine, 
Dionysius,  John,  Maximiam,  Malchus,  Martinian,  and 
Serapion. 


67.    GRANITE  COLUMNS  OF  ST.  MARK'S. 

In  front  of  the  quay  and  landing-steps  of  the  Piazzeta, 
stand  the  two  memorable  granite  columns  associated 
with  the  fortunes  of  Venice  for  so  many  years.  They 
were  transported  from  the  Holy  Land  in  H2obythe 
Doge  Dominico  Michiele.  Originally  there  were  three ; 
but,  in  landing  them,  one  was  lost  in  the  mud  of  the 
lagoon ;  the  other  two  were  safely  brought  to  shore,  but 
remained  prostrate  on  the  quay  for  several  years,  before 
any  one  would  undertake  to  raise  them. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


87 


A  reward  offered  by  the  Doge  Sebastiano  Ziani,  at 
length  induced  one  Nicolo  Barratiero,  or  "Nick  the 
Blackleg,"  to  offer  his  services. 

He  succeeded,  and  claimed  for  his  remuneration  the 
privilege  of  carrying  on  in  the  space  between  the  col- 
umns those  games  of  chance  elsewhere  prohibited  by 
the  Venetian  law. 

The  doge  could  not  refuse  :  but,  to  neutralize  the 
privilege,  it  was  enacted  that  all  public  executions  should 
thenceforth  take  place  on  the  same  spot ;  hence,  to  the 
imaginative  Venetians,  it  became  so  ominous,  that  even 
to  cross  it  was  indicative  of  a  coming  misfortune. 

When  Marino  Faliero  was  made  doge,  his  gondoliers 
by  some  mischance  landed  him  "  between  the  columns," 
a  circumstance  which  in  the  minds  of  the  populace 
accounted  for  his  sorrows,  his  treason,  and  his  fate. 

One  of  the  columns  is  surmounted  by  the  Lion  of 
St.  Mark,  holding  the  Gospel  of  St.  Mark  in  his  paw. 

The  other  column  supports  a  fine  figure  of  St.  Theo- 
dore, the  patron  saint  of  the  city,  executed  in  1329  by 
Pietro  Guilombardo. 

He  stands  upon  a  crocodile ;  a  nimbus  surrounds  his 
head ;  his  right  arm  carries  a  buckler ;  and  his  left 
wields  a  sword,  intimating  that  Venice  took  for  its  motto 
"  Defence,  not  Defiance,"  and  drew  the  sword  only  to 
shield  herself  from  attack. 


68.    ORIGIN  OF  THE  TERM  "PIN-MONEY." 

By  the  term  pin-money,  is  understood  a  lady's  allow- 
ance for  her  own  personal  expenditure. 

For  a  long  time  after  the  invention  of  pins  in  the 
fourteenth  century,  the  maker  was  allowed  to  sell  them 
only  on  the  1st  and  2d  of  January. 


88 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


They  were  so  expensive  for  a  long  time,  that  none 
but  the  very  wealthy  ladies  could  use  them ;  and  it  be- 
came customary  to  give  a  certain  sum  of  money  to 
women  at  their  marriage,  for  buying  pins. 

On  the  ist  and  2d  of  January  they  flocked  to  the 
stores,  provided  with  this  money,  which  was  thence 
called  "pin-money." 

Since  pins  have  become  cheap  and  common,  the 
ladies  spend  their  allowance  on  other  fancies ;  but  the 
term  "  pin-money  "  still  remains  in  vogue. 


69.    THE  JESUITS. 

Ignatius  de  Loyola,  founder  of  the  Order  of  Jesuits, 
or  "  Society  of  Jesus,"  was  born  in  Guipuzcoa,  Spain, 
in  149 1.  His  real  name  was  Inigo ;  but  he  changed  it 
in  later  life  to  Ignatius,  its  Latin  form. 

He  was  first  a  page  in  the  court  of  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella,  and  afterward  a  soldier,  until  he  was  thirty 
years  of  age. 

He  was  severely  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Pampeluna, 
and  while  in  the  hospital  read  the  "  Lives  of  the  Saints" 
and  many  religious  books,  which  made  him  desire  to 
lead  a  better  life.  He  wished  to  become  a  priest  at 
once  ;  but  finding  that  he  was  too  ignorant,  he  went  to 
school  with  little  boys  when  he  was  thirty-three  years 
old. 

It  was  in  the  Church  of  the  Virgin  in  Montserrat, 
that  he  hung  up  his  arms,  and  vowed  obedience  to  the 
Church. 

Finally  in  1537  he  became  not  only  a  priest,  but  the 
founder  of  the  most  celebrated  order  of  the  Roman 
Church,  which  it  cost  him  great  labor  and  urgency  and 
constancy  to  establish. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


89 


He  died  in  Rome  when  sixty-four  years  old,  July  31, 
1556,  and  was  canonized  by  the  Pope  in  1622. 

The  Society  is  still  governed  by  the  original  rules 
and  constitution  of  St.  Ignatius. 

The  later  history  of  the  Society  presents  different 
aspects  in  different  countries  :  it  is  therefore  neces- 
sary to  study  separately,  the  history  divided  into  three 
stages,  —  the  Rise,  the  Suppression,  and  the  Restora- 
tion of  the  Order  of  Jesuits. 

Even  in  countries  where  the  Roman-Catholic  Church 
has  been  established,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  de- 
nominations, the  Jesuits  have  been  often  oppressed, 
and  in  many  cases  banished.  The  fundamental  princi- 
ple of  the  order  is  implicit  obedience  to  the  Pope. 


70.    LAURA'S  LOVER. 

"  There  is  a  tomb  in  Arqua  ;  —  reared  in  air, 
Pillared  in  their  sarcophagus,  repose 
The  bones  of  Laura's  lover." 

This  quotation  is  from  Byron's  "  Childe  Harold," 
Canto  IV.,  and  refers  to  Petrarch,  the  first  and  greatest 
lyric  poet  of  Italy.  He  was  born  in  Arezzo,  July,  1304, 
and  died  at  Arqua,  July,  1374. 

The  great  event  of  his  life  (viewed  in  the  light  of  its 
literary  consequences)  was  his  tenderly  romantic  and 
ultimately  pure  passion  for  Laura,  the  golden-haired, 
beautiful  French  woman. 

He  met  her  on  the  6th  of  April,  1327,  in  the  Church 
of  St.  Clara  in  Avignon,  and  at  once  and  forever  fell 
deeply  in  love  with  her.  The  lady  was  then  nineteen 
years  old,  and  had  been  married  for  two  years  to  a  gen- 
tleman of  Avignon,  named  Husrues  de  Sade. 

For  ten  years  Petrarch  lived  near  Laura  in  the  papal 


9Q 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


city,  and  frequently  met  her  at  church,  in  society,  and 
at  festivities. 

He  sang  her  beauty  and  his  love  in  those  sonnets 
which  ravished  the  ears  of  his  contemporaries,  and  have 
not  yet  ceased  to  charm. 

Laura  was  not  insensible  to  a  worship  which  made  an 
emperor  (Charles  IV.)  beg  to  be  introduced  to  her,  and 
to  be  allowed  to  kiss  her  forehead ;  but  she  kept  the  too 
passionate  poet  at  a  proper  distance.  Only  once  did  he 
dare  make  an  avowal  of  his  love  in  her  presence,  and 
then  he  was  sternly  reproved.  After  her  death  he  with- 
drew from  Avignon,  and  passed  the  rest  of  his  life  in 
Italy. 

A  most  brilliant  honor  was  awarded  him  in  Rome  in 
1341.  Having  written  an  epic  poem  entitled  "Africa," 
on  the  Second  Punic  War,  he  was  crowned,  on  Easter 
Day,  in  the  Capitol,  with  the  "laurel  wreath"  of  a 
poet. 

His  chief  lyric,  called  the  "  Rime,"  in  honor  of 
Laura,  was  composed  during  a  period  extending  over 
forty  years.  It  consists  of  sonnets  and  madrigals  ;  and 
the  later  ones,  written  long  after  Laura  had  been  laid  in 
her  grave,  appear  purified  from  all  earthly  taint,  and 
have  done  as  much  to  refine  the  Italian  language  as  the 
"Divine  Comedy  "  of  Dante. 

Petrarch  was  not  only  far  beyond  his  age  in  learning, 
but  had  risen  above  many  of  the  prejudices  and  the 
superstitions  of  his  time. 

He  was  found  dead  in  his  library,  with  his  head  rest- 
ing on  his  book  (July  18,  1374). 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


91 


71.    THE  ELGIN  MARBLES. 

The  Elgin  Marbles  are  a  collection  of  ancient  sculp- 
tures, chiefly  from  the  Acropolis  at  Athens. 

About  the  year  1801,  when  Greece  was  under  Turkish 
sway,  they  were  obtained  at  great  trouble  and  expense 
by  Thomas,  seventh  Earl  of  Elgin,  and  transferred  to 
England.  They  were  purchased  by  the  English  Gov- 
ernment in  1 8 16,  and  are  now  in  the  British  Museum. 

Those  most  appreciated  are  slabs  of  marble,  with 
figures  in  relief,  which  constituted  the  frieze  of  the  cell 
of  the  Parthenon ;  and  fifteen  metopes  representing  the 
battle  of  the  Centaurs  and  the  Lapithae. 

The  figures,  mostly  equestrian,  represent  the  grand 
procession  in  honor  of  Minerva,  which  took  place  once 
in  five  years. 

This  series  of  sculptures  was  executed  by  Phidias  and 
by  other  Greek  sculptors  under  his  direction. 

Casts  of  the  marbles  are  well  known  to  students  of 
art. 


72.    THE  EARTH. 

The  motion  of  the  earth  is  perpetual,  while  all  artifi- 
cial motion  is  temporary. 

The  one  is  irresistible,  while  resistance  puts  the 
other  to  rest. 

The  earth  is  said  to  have  three  motions  :  first,  upon 
its  own  axis ;  secondly,  around  the  sun  ;  thirdly,  with  the 
sun  and  planetary  system  it  moves  in  a  great  revolution 
through  space. 

The  weight  of  the  earth  is  forty-six  hundred  and 
forty-three  trillions  of  tons  (avoirdupois).  Yet  it  moves 
at  the  rate  of  eleven  hundred  miles  per  minute,  at  a 


92 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


distance  of  ninety-five  million  miles  from  the  sun,  in 
an  orbit  of  six  hundred  million  miles,  without  effort  or 
support,  without  the  ruffling  of  a  feather  or  the  disturb- 
ance of  a  grain  of  dust,  however  minute  or  delicate. 


73.  WILHELMINA. 

Wilhelmina  was  a  Bohemian  princess,  who  died  in 
1282. 

"  She  appeared  in  Milan,  and  announced  her  gospel, 
a  profane  and  fantastic  parody,  centring  upon  her- 
self the  great  tenet  of  the  Fraticelli,  the  reign  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  In  her,  the  daughter,  she  averred,  of 
Constance,  Queen  of  Bohemia,  the  Holy  Ghost  was  in- 
carnate. Her  birth  had  its  annunciation,  but  the  angel 
Raphael  took  the  place  of  the  angel  Gabriel.  She  was 
very  God  and  very  woman.  She  came  to  save  Jews, 
Saracens,  false  Christians,  as  the  Saviour  the  true 
Christians.  Her  human  nature  was  to  die  as  that  of 
Christ  had  died.  She  was  to  rise  again,  and  ascend  into 
heaven.  As  Christ  had  left  his  vicar  upon  earth,  so 
Wilhelmina  left  the  holy  nun  Mayfreda.  Mayfreda  was 
to  celebrate  the  mass  at  her  sepulchre,  to  preach  her 
gospel  in  the  great  church  at  Milan,  afterwards  at  St. 
Peter's  at  Rome.  She  was  to  be  a  female  pope,  with 
full  papal  power  to  baptize  Jews,  Saracens,  unbelievers. 
The  four  gospels  were  replaced  by  four  Wilhelminian 
evangelists. 

"  She  was  to  be  seen  by  her  disciples,  as  Christ  after 
his  resurrection.  Plenary  indulgence  was  to  be  granted 
to  all  who  visited  the  convent  of  Chiaravalle,  as  to  those 
who  visited  the  tomb  of  our  Lord:  it  was  to  become  the 
great  centre  of  pilgrimage.    Her  apostles  were  to  have 


CURIO  US  Q  UES TIONS. 


93 


their  Judas,  to  be  delivered  by  him  to  the  Inquisition. 
But  the  most  strange  of  all  was,  that  Wilhelmina, 
whether  her  doctrines  were  kept  secret  to  the  initiate, 
lived  unpersecuted,  and  died  in  peace  and  in  the  odor 
of  sanctity.  She  was  buried  first  in  the  Church  of  St. 
Peter  in  Orto  :  her  body  was  afterwards  carried  to  the 
convent  of  Chiaravalle.  Monks  preached  her  funeral 
sermon ;  the  saint  wrought  miracles,  lamps  and  wax  can- 
dles burned  in  profuse  splendor  at  her  altar ;  she  had 
three  annual  festivals  ;  her  Pope  Mayfreda  celebrated 
mass. 

"  It  was  not  till  twenty  years  after,  that  the  orthodox 
of  the  Milanese  clergy  awoke  in  dismay  and  horror ;  the 
wonder-working  bones  of  St.  Wilhelmina  were  dug  up 
and  burned ;  Mayfreda,  and  one  Andrea  Saramita,  expi- 
ated at  the  stake  the  long  unregarded  blasphemies  of 
their  mistress." 


74.    THE  "ILIAD"  OF  FRANCE. 

The  "  Romance  of  the  Rose "  is  a  poetical  allegory 
begun  by  Guillaume  de  Lorris  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
thirteenth  century,  and  continued  by  Jean  de  Meung  in 
the  fourteenth  century. 

The  poet  dreams  that  Dame  Idleness  conducts  him 
to  the  Palace  of  Pleasure,  where  he  meets  Love,  whose 
attendant  maidens  are  Sweet  Looks,  Courtesy,  Youth, 
Joy,  and  Competence  :  by  them  he  is  conducted  to  a 
bed  of  roses. 

He  has  just  singled  out  one  rose,  when  an  arrow 
from  Love's  bow  stretches  him  fainting  on  the  ground, 
and  he  is  carried  away. 

When  he  comes  to  himself,  he  resolves  to  find  his 
rose ;  and  Welcome  promises  to  aid  him.  Shyness, 


94 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS 


Fear,  and  Slander  obstruct  his  way ;  Reason  advises 
him  to  give  up  the  quest ;  Pity  and  Kindness  show  him 
the  object  of  his  search;  but  Jealousy  seizes  Welcome, 
and  locks  her  in  Fear  Castle.  Here  the  original  poem 
ends.  The  sequel,  longer  than  Homer's  Iliad,  takes 
up  the  tale  at  this  point,  and  is  an  extraordinary  mix- 
ture of  erudition  and  satire  ;  at  one  time  a  history  of 
heroes,  then  a  disquisition  upon  the  hoarding  of  money, 
astronomy,  duties  of  mankind,  etc.  The  poem  reached 
the  height  of  its  popularity  in  the  sixteenth  century. 
Then  writers  were  never  tired  of  quoting  and  explain- 
ing it ;  and  some  learned  commentaries  were  written 
upon  it,  and  passages  often  quoted  from  it  in  the  pul- 
pit. The  poem,  which  is  a  very  learned  but  tedious 
one  of  twenty-two  thousand  verses,  contains  many  im- 
moral passages,  which  so  excited  the  animadversion  of 
the  Fathers  of  the  Church,  that,  better  literature  being 
written,  the  romance  finally  lost  its  hold  upon  the 
French  people. 


75.    THE    PANORAMA    OF    "THE    BATTLE  OF 
GETTYSBURG." 

This  panorama  represents  the  decisive  battle  which 
took  place  on  the  afternoon  of  July  3,  1863,  between 
the  Southern  or  Confederate  troops  under  Gen.  Lee, 
and  the  Union  forces  under  the  command  of  Gen. 
Meade,  at  Gettysburg,  Penn. 

The  battle  resulted  in  the  retreat  of  Gen.  Lee,  and 
the  loss  on  his  part  of  thirty  thousand  men  ;  while  the 
National  army  lost  more  than  twenty  thousand  men, 
but  gained  the  victory. 

The  author  of  this  great  work  of  art,  Paul  Philippo- 
teaux,  was  born  in  Paris  in  1836,  and  is  now  among  the 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


95 


foremost  painters  in  Paris.  The  success  of  his  pano- 
rama representing  the  "  Siege  of  Paris "  induced  him 
to  paint  others,  which  have  met  with  like  success. 

In  order  to  paint  the  panorama  of  Gettysburg,  Paul 
Philippoteaux  came  to  America,  and  spent  several 
months  on  the  battle-field,  taking  sketches  and  draw- 
ings of  the  country.  He  also  consulted  the  official 
maps  at  Washington,  and  obtained  from  Generals  Han- 
cock, Doubleday,  and  others,  details  of  the  battle  as  it 
took  place.  He  then  returned  to  Brussels,  and  was 
occupied  for  two  years  in  painting  this  panorama. 

The  canvas  is  four  hundred  feet  long,  and  fifty  feet 
high,  or  covering  an  area  of  twenty  thousand  square 
feet. 

A  special  fire-proof  building  was  erected  for  it  in 
Chicago,  111.,  where  it  is  permanently  located. 

The  building  is  duo-octagonal  in  form,  and  the  light 
so  arranged  as  to  produce  a  most  wonderful  optical  illu- 
sion. The  beholder,  standing  in  the  centre  on  a  little 
platform,  can  hardly  realize  that  he  is  not  actually  on 
the  battle-field,  surrounded  by  hills,  highways,  artillery, 
and  battalions  of  soldiers,  or  that  he  is  not  looking 
miles  away  over  green  fields  and  valleys. 

Between  the  canvas  and  the  platform  the  artist  has 
placed  some  real  earth,  fallen  trees,  and  cannon ;  and 
the  effect  is  so  realistic,  that  it  taxes  the  ingenuity  of 
the  beholder  to  tell  where  the  real  ends,  and  the  paint- 
ing begins. 

The  building  cost  forty  thousand  dollars,  is  a  hun- 
dred and  thirty-four  feet  in  diameter,  and  ninety-six 
feet  high.  The  walls  are  windowless,  the  light  coming 
only  through  the  roof  in  daytime  ;  while  at  night  the 
building  is  brilliantly  illuminated  by  electric  lights. 

"The  Chicago  Times,"  Dec.  2,  1883,  says, — 


96 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


"The  panorama  of  'The  Battle  of  Gettysburg'  is  universally 
conceded  by  all  who  have  seen  it,  to  be  the  most  extraordinary 
work  of  art  ever  seen  in  this  city. 

"  To  describe  it  in  words  is  impossible.  It  must  be  seen,  in 
order  to  have  any  idea  of  its  striking  realistic  effect." 


76.    THE  WAX  FIGURES  IN  WESTMINSTER  ABBEY. 

These  wax  figures,  dressed  in  the  costumes  of  the 
day,  were  carried  in  the  funeral  processions  of  great 
personages,  and  were  left  to  mark  the  place  of  burial 
until  funeral  monuments  could  be  erected. 

Among  the  effigies  now  remaining  are  those  of  Queen 
Elizabeth,  Charles  I.,  and  Queen  Philippa.  They  are 
kept  in  an  alcove  leading  by  a  spiral  stairway  from 
Islip  Chapel.  The  exhibition,  at  stated  times,  of  these 
figures,  called  "The  Play  of  the  Dead-volk,"  was  dis- 
continued only  in  1839,  and  is  the  origin  of  the  modern 
"wax-work"  exhibition  known  as  "Mrs.  Jarley's." 

In  the  alcove  with  these  wax  figures  is  shown  the 
box  in  which  the  remains  of  Major  Andre  were  taken 
to  England. 


77.  PASQUINADES. 

Pasquinades  are  anonymous  publications,  either 
printed  or  written,  or  sometimes  only  posted  up,  having 
for  their  object  defamation  of  character  or  the  turning 
of  a  person  into  ridicule.  The  statue  of  Pasquin  in 
Rome  is  a  famous  place  for  placards  of  this  description, 
the  Pope  and  the  cardinals  being  the  favorite  victims. 
The  rival  statue  of  Marforio  in  the  Capitol,  which  for- 
merly stood  near  the  Arch  of  Septimius  Severus  in  the 
Forum,  was  made  the  vehicle  for  replying  to  the  attacks 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


97 


of  Pasquin  :  for  many  years  they  kept  up  an  incessant 
fire  of  wit  and  repartee. 

The  modern  Romans  seem  to  regard  Pasquin  as  part 
of  their  social  system  :  in  the  absence  of  a  free  press, 
he  has  become  the  organ  of  public  opinion,  and  there  is 
scarcely  an  event  upon  which  he  does  not  pronounce 
judgment.  When  Mezzofanti,  the  great  linguist,  was 
made  a  cardinal,  Pasquin  declared  that  it  was  a  very 
proper  appointment,  because  there  could  be  no  doubt 
that  the  "Tower  of  Babel "  required  an  interpreter. 


78.    "OLD  MAN  OF  THE  MOUNTAIN." 

This  title  was  first  applied  to  Hassan  Ben  Sabbah,  who 
founded  a  formidable  dynasty  in  Syria,  A.D.  1090. 

He  was  the  prince,  or  chief,  of  a  sect  of  the  Moham- 
medans. 

Having  been  banished  from  his  country,  he  took  up 
his  abode  in  Mount  Lebanon,  gathered  around  him  a 
band  of  followers,  who  soon  became  the  terror  alike  of 
Christians,  Jews,  and  Turks.  They  paid  the  most  im- 
plicit obedience  to  his  commands,  and  believed  that  if 
they  sacrificed  their  lives  for  his  sake  they  would  be 
rewarded  with  the  highest  joys  of  paradise.  For  two 
hundred  years  these  "  Assassins,"  as  they  called  them- 
selves, continued  to  be  the  terror  of  the  country. 

Whenever  their  chief,  the  "  Old  Man  of  the  Moun- 
tain," considered  himself  injured,  he  despatched  some 
of  his  assassins  secretly  to  murder  the  aggressor. 
This  is  the  origin  of  our  use  of  the  word  assassin  for 
a  secret  murderer. 


98 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


79,    THE  TAJ  MAHAL. 

This  magnificent  mausoleum  in  Agra  (or,  as  it  is 
sometimes  called,  Akbarabad),  India,  was  erected  by- 
Shah  Jehan,  to  the  memory  of  his  favorite  queen. 

It  is  octagonal  in  form  ;  the  four  sides  which  face  the 
cardinal  points  being  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  long, 
the  others  much  smaller.  It  is  built  of  the  finest  Jey- 
pore  marble,  finely  polished ;  and  all  the  beautiful  tints 
of  the  stone  are  retained. 

The  roof  is  seventy  feet  high,  and  expands  in  the 
centre  into  a  noble  dome  seventy  feet  in  diameter,  and 
one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  high  ;  and  when  to  the 
height  of  the  dome  is  added  the  height  of  the  building 
and  terraces,  it  shows  that  the  gilt  crescent  at  its  apex 
is  two  hundred  and  seventy  feet  from  the  ground  level. 
This  mausoleum  is  inlaid  with  jasper,  cornelian,  tur- 
quoise, agate,  onyx,  amethysts,  and  sapphires ;  and  it  is 
said  that  the  whole  of  the  Koran  is  inlaid  within  its 
stately  walls. 

The  sarcophagus  of  the  sultana  is  in  a  vault  directly 
under  the  centre  of  the  building,  and  near  it  that  of  the 
shah. 

There  is  no  part  of  the  exterior,  except  the  dome,  that 
is  not  covered  with  arabesques  and  inscriptions  in  black 
marble  on  the  polished  white  of  the  surface. 

The  great  dome  produces  an  echo  that  travellers  pro- 
nounce to  be  the  finest  in  the  world. 

Of  this  echo,  Bayard  Taylor  has  said,  — 

"A  single  musical  note  uttered  by  the  voice  floats  and  soars 
overhead  in  long,  delicious  undulations,  fading  away  so  slowly, 
that  you  hear  it  after  it  is  silent,  as  you  see,  or  seem  to  see,  a  lark 
you  have  been  watching,  after  it  is  swallowed  up  in  the  blue  vault 
of  heaven." 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


99 


This  magnificent  edifice  was  commenced  in  1630,  and 
finished  in  1647  \  and>  during  the  seventeen  years, 
twenty  thousand  workmen  were  constantly  employed 
upon  it.  Every  province  of  the  empire  contributed  to 
its  adornment,  sending  precious  stones,  of  which  a  list 
was  preserved  in  the  public  archives. 

Notwithstanding  these  free  gifts  and  the  forced  labor 
of  the  workmen,  the  total  cost  was  about  twelve  mil' 
lions  of  dollars. 

An  English  writer  has  said,  — 

"  Were  there  nothing  to  be  seen  in  India  but  the  Taj,  it  would 
be,  for  an  artist  or  an  architect,  sufficient  compensation  for  the 
long  voyage ;  for  no  pen  can  do  justice  to  its  incomparable  beauty, 
and  its  astonishing  grandeur." 


80.    THE  HARLETAN  COLLECTION. 

This  collection  of  valuable  manuscripts,  now  in  the 
British  Museum,  was  purchased  by  Parliament  for  ten 
thousand  pounds  in  the  reign  of  George  IV.  The  col- 
lection was  formed  by  Robert  Harley,  Earl  of  Oxford, 
an  eminent  statesman,  and  great  patron  of  literature 
(1661-1724).  It  contains  7,639  volumes,  exclusive  of 
14,236  original  rolls,  charters,  and  other  deeds.  Al- 
though somewhat  miscellaneous  in  its  character,  his- 
torical literature,  in  all  its  branches,  forms  one  of  its 
principal  features. 

It  is  particularly  rich  in  heraldric  and  genealogical 
manuscripts  ;  in  accounts  of  visitations  of  countries,  and 
of  parliamentary  and  legal  proceedings ;  in  English 
topographical  collections ;  in  originals,  copies,  and 
calendars  of  ancient  records ;  in  abbey  registers ;  in 
manuscripts  of  the  classics,  among  which  is  one  of  the 
earliest  known  manuscripts  of  the  Odyssey  of  Homer; 


IOO 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


in  missals,  antiphonaries,  and  other  service-books  of  the 
Roman-Catholic  Church  ;  and  in  ancient  English  poetry. 

It  contains  two  very  early  copies  of  Latin  Gospels, 
written  in  gold  letters  ;  also  a  large  number  of  splen- 
didly illuminated  manuscripts,  besides  an  extensive 
mass  of  correspondence.  It  further  includes  about 
three  hundred  manuscript  Bibles,  or  biblical  books  in 
Hebrew,  Chaldaic,  Greek,  Arabic,  and  Latin ;  nearly 
two  hundred  volumes  of  writings  of  the  Fathers  of  the 
Church  ;  and  many  works  on  the  arts  and  sciences, 
among  which  is  a  tract  on  the  steam-engine,  with  plans, 
diagrams,  and  calculations,  by  Sir  Samuel  Morland. 


81.  MOMUS. 

Momus,  in  Greek  fable,  was  the  god  of  mockery  and 
censure,  and  delighted  in  finding  fault  with  gods  and 
men. 

When  Neptune,  Minerva,  and  Vulcan  strove  to  prove 
which  was  the  most  skilful  artist,  Momus  was  chosen 
as  judge  to  decide  among  them. 

Neptune  made  a  bull;  Minerva,  a  house;  and  Vulcan, 
a  man. 

Momus  declared  that  Neptune  should  have  put  the 
horns  of  the  bull  nearer  the  front,  that  he  might  fight 
better;  Minerva  should  have  made  her  house  movable, 
so  that  she  could  remove  it  in  case  she  had  troublesome 
neighbors  ;  Vulcan  should  have  made  a  window  in  the 
man's  breast,  so  that  his  thoughts  could  be  seen. 

All  were  so  disgusted  with  his  criticism,  that  they 
turned  him  out  of  heaven  ;  and  he  died  of  grief  be- 
cause he  could  find  no  imperfection  in  Venus. 

A  chronic  grumbler  is  therefore  called  "a  Momus." 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


IOI 


82.    THE  CARROCCIO. 

The  Carroccio  was  the  great  standard  car  of  state 
and  the  sacred  palladium  of  the  Lombard  Republic, 
and  was  invented  about  the  year  1035. 

It  was  a  strong  car  on  four  wheels,  painted  red, 
drawn  by  four  pairs  of  milk-white  oxen  with  splendid 
trappings  of  scarlet. 

In  the  centre  of  the  car,  raised  upon  a  mast  which 
was  crowned  with  a  golden  ball,  floated  the  banner  of 
the  republic  :  beneath  it  was  an  image  of  the  Saviour 
extended  upon  the  cross,  as  if  to  pour  benediction 
upon  the  surrounding  hosts. 

It  was  the  custom  whenever  they  took  the  field,  to 
conduct  the  Carroccio  into  the  midst  of  the  army  ;  and 
its  sight  was  supposed  to  inspire  courage  in  the  hearts 
of  the  combatants.  Three  hundred  of  the  most  distin- 
guished soldiers  were  appointed  to  guard  it  in  the  bat- 
tle, and  the  loss  of  it  was  considered  the  most  grievous 
calamity  and  the  greatest  disgrace. 

In  the  Lombard  Republic,  to  belong  to  the  gallant 
Cohort  of  the  Three  Hundred  was  a  great  honor.  Next 
in  point  of  rank  came  nine  hundred  chosen  men  called 
the  "  Cohort  of  Death." 

Feelings  of  religion  and  military  glory  were  strangely 
associated  with  the  Carroccio.  It  was  an  imitation  of 
the  Jewish  ark  of  the  covenant,  and  from  its  platform 
the  chaplain  of  the  army  administered  Christian  rites 
to  the  people. 

The  thickest  of  the  battle  ever  encircled  the  Carroc- 
cio :  it  guided  the  advance,  and  the  duty  of  defending 
it  insured  order  in  a  retreat. 

The  liberty  of  Lombardy  was  secured  by  the  battle  of 
Legnano  (11 76),  and  the  victory  was  due  to  the  rallying 


102 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


of  the  "Three  Hundred"  and  the  "Cohort  of  Death" 
around  the  Carroccio. 

The  return  of  the  Carroccio  to  Milan  after  this  deci- 
sive battle  (in  which  the  disciplined  forces  of  Germany, 
commanded  by  the  Emperor  Frederick  Barbarossa  in 
person,  gave  way,  and  were  defeated)  was  celebrated  by 
eight  days  of  festivity. 


83.    "ROBBING  PETER  TO  PAY  PAUL." 

This  saying  has  its  origin  in  the  rivalry  between  St. 
Peter's  Cathedral  (now  Westminster  Abbey)  and  St. 
Paul's  Cathedral  in  London. 

In  1550  an  appropriation  was  made  from  St.  Peter's 
to  make  up  a  deficiency  in  the  accounts  of  St.  Paul's. 

This  action  met  with  much  opposition,  the  people 
saying,  "Why  rob  St.  Peter  to  pay  St.  Paul  ?  " 

The  proverb  was  afterwards  revived  upon  the  death 
of  William  Pitt  (Earl  Chatham)  in  1778.  Each  of  the 
metropolitan  cemeteries  laid  claim  to  the  honor  of  his 
burial.  The  city  of  London  argued  that  so  great  a 
statesman  as  William  Pitt  should  be  buried  in  St. 
Paul's  ;  while  Parliament  took  the  ground  that  the  dust 
of  so  great  a  man  as  he  should  come  near  to  the  dust 
of  kings,  and  that  not  to  bury  him  in  Westminster 
Abbey  would  again  be  "  robbing  St.  Peter  to  pay  St. 
Paul." 

The  dispute  resulted  in  favor  of  Westminster  Abbey. 

William  Pitt  the  elder  was  called  the  "  Great  Com- 
moner of  England,"  but  afterwards  forfeited  the  title 
when  he  was  made  Earl  of  Chatham. 


A  MAMELUKE 

Curious  Questions.    Vol.  I.,  page  ioj. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


I03 


84.   THE  MAMELUKES. 

The  Mamelukes  were  a  body  of  soldiers  who  ruled 
Egypt  for  several  hundred  years.  The  name  Mame- 
luke is  taken  from  an  Arab  word  meaning  slave ;  and 
these  men  were  so  called  because  originally  they  were 
young  captives  from  Caucasian  countries.  In  the  mid- 
dle of  the  thirteenth  century  they  were  introduced  into 
Egypt  as  the  body-guard  of  the  sultan ;  but  upon  the 
accession  of  Turan  Shah,  who  was  so  much  hated  by 
them,  they  overthrew  and  murdered  him,  and  elected 
one  of  their  own  number  sultan. 

For  nearly  three  hundred  years  they  monopolized 
that  office ;  and  even  when  forced  to  give  it  up,  they  had 
great  power  in  Egypt.  The  Mamelukes  were  very  fine 
cavalry  soldiers  ;  and  when  Napoleon  saw  their  manoeu- 
vres at  the  "Battle  of  the  Pyramids"  in  1798,  he  said, 
that  with  Mameluke  cavalry  and  French  infantry,  he 
could  make  himself  master  of  the  world. 

In  181 1  nearly  all  of  the  Mamelukes  were  massacred 
by  Mohammed  Ali.  A  few  escaped  to  Nubia,  but  these 
were  destroyed  in  1820. 


85.    THE  "  LIA  FAIL." 

Mr.  Glover  states  that  the  return  of  the  "  Lia  Fail," 
or  "  Stone  of  Destiny,"  to  Ireland,  and  the  possession 
of  it  by  the  Irish  nation,  is  made  the  vital  spark  and 
motive  of  the  Fenian  secret  oath  ;  and  that  it  is  pre- 
eminently the  household  word  of  the  political  Irish  life, 
and  the  longing  of  those  who  have  joined  this  too  little 
heeded  conspiracy,  the  object  of  which  seems  to  be  the 
overthrow  of  the  English  authority  in  Ireland,  and  the 
establishment  of  a  republic. 


104 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


This  historic  stone,  known  in  Scotland  as  the  "  Stone 
of  Destiny,"  in  Ireland  as  the  "Lia  Fail,"  in  England 
as  "Jacob's  Pillar,"  and  more  generally  as  the  "  Scone," 
is  claimed  by  the  Irish  nation  to  have  been  brought 
from  Egypt  to  Ireland  by  a  beautiful  princess,  who 
placed  it  in  Tara's  Hall  in  580  B.C. 

It  is  at  present  fastened  underneath  the  coronation 
chair  in  Westminster  Abbey.  The  stone  is  of  a  dark 
color,  streaked  with  red,  and  is  twenty-six  inches  long, 
sixteen  inches  wide,  and  eleven  inches  thick.  Its  sur- 
face is  much  defaced ;  and  a  long,  deep  crack  almost 
divides  it  in  two.  Tradition  says  that  this  stone  can 
be  traced  back  to  the  plains  of  Luz,  where  Jacob  laid 
his  head  upon  it,  and  dreamed  his  "  ladder-dream  ; "  that 
it  was  preserved  in  the  temple  as  a  witness  of  the  cove- 
nant between  Jacob  and  his  God ;  that  it  was  carried  to 
Egypt  by  the  prophet  Jeremiah  after  the  Jews  had 
been  taken  captives  to  Babylon  ;  and  that  it  was  car- 
ried from  Egypt  to  Ireland,  as  has  been  said,  by  a  prin- 
cess in  580  B.C.  From  Ireland  it  is  said  to  have  been 
taken  to  Iona  in  A.D.  503,  that  Fergus,  son  of  Ere, 
first  king  of  the  Scots,  might  be  crowned  upon  it,  as  his 
ancestors  in  Ireland  had  been  before  him. 

History  claims  to  know  its  story  from  the  time  of 
St.  Columba  of  Iona,  who,  when  dying  (A.D.  597),  re- 
quested that  his  head  might  be  placed  upon  it  in  token 
of  his  faith  in  its  biblical  history. 

From  Iona  it  was  taken  to  Scone,  Scotland,  by  King 
Kenneth  (842),  and  enclosed  in  the  present  wooden 
chair,  after  the  Scottish  kings,  having  extended  their 
power  over  the  Picts,  had  transferred  their  royal  resi- 
dence to  Scone. 

The  abbey  of  Scone  had  possession  of  this  "  Stone 
of  Destiny"  from  A.D.  842  to  1296,  and  during  these 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


I05 


four  hundred  and  fifty-four  years  all  the  Scottish  kings 
had  been  crowned  upon  it.  From  A.D.  1296  it  has 
been  in  possession  of  the  English.  Edward  I.,  King 
of  England,  having  dethroned  John  Baliol,  took  with 
him  to  England  all  the  relics  of  Scottish  independence, 
this  celebrated  stone  among  the  number. 

Robert  Bruce  stipulated  for  its  restoration  ;  and, 
although  Edward  II.  attempted  to  comply,  he  was  pre- 
vented by  a  mob  from  restoring  the  stone  to  Scotland. 

For  over  five  hundred  years  England's  kings  and 
queens  have  been  crowned  upon  it ;  and  Queen  Victo- 
ria, a  direct  descendant  of  James  VI.  of  Scotland,  has 
for  more  than  forty  years  given  her  testimony  to  the 
truth  of  the  couplet  engraven  upon  the  stone:  — 

"  Where'er  is  found  this  sacred  stone, 
The  Scottish  race  shall  reign." 


86.    THE  MOST  CURIOUS  BOOK  IN  THE  WORLD. 

A  book  belonging  to  the  family  of  Prince  de  Ligne, 
now  in  France,  is  said  to  be  the  most  curious  book  in 
the  world,  because  it  is  neither  written  nor  printed. 

The  letters  of  the  text  are  cut  out  of  each  folio  upon 
the  finest  vellum ;  and,  being  interleaved  with  blue 
paper,  it  is  as  easily  read  as  print.  The  labor  bestowed 
upon  it  was  excessive. 

Rudolph  II.  of  Germany  offered  for  it,  in  1640,  eleven 
thousand  ducats,  which  is  probably  equal  to  sixty  thou- 
sand dollars  at  this  day. 

A  remarkable  circumstance  connected  with  this  lite- 
rary treasure,  is  that  it  bears  the  royal  arms  of  Eng- 
land ;  but  it  cannot  be  traced  to  have  ever  been  in  that 
country. 


io6 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


87.   THE  THIRD  PICTURE  OF  THE  WORLD. 

The  "Martyrdom  of  St.  Peter,  Martyr"  is  the  great 
chef-d'oeuvre  of  Titian,  and  classed  by  many  as  the 
third  picture  of  the  world.  It  was  painted  for  the 
Church  of  San  Zanipolo.  The  subject  of  this  vast 
composition  is  the  death  of  a  Dominican  monk  named 
Pietro  di  Verona,  who  was  assassinated  in  a  wood  while 
returning  with  another  monk  from  some  council  of  his 
order.  He  was  canonized,  and  his  tragic  death  recorded 
among  the  best  authenticated  legends. 

No  honor  that  could  have  been  paid  to  this  picture 
has  been  wanting. 

The  Senate  of  Venice,  learning  that  a  certain  party 
had  offered  to  pay  eighteen  thousand  crowns  for  it, 
made  a  special  decree,  forbidding  the  Dominican  monks, 
under  penalty  of  death,  to  allow  it  to  go  out  of  the  ter- 
ritory of  the  republic. 

Domenichino  made  a  copy  of  it,  but  the  copy  did  not 
attain  to  the  grandeur  of  the  original.  It  was  carried 
to  Paris  after  the  conquest  of  Venice,  and  there  re- 
stored to  its  original  beauty,  by  being  taken  off  the 
worm-eaten  wood,  and  placed  on  new  and  durable  can- 
vas. 

The  picture  represents  the  martyr  stretched  upon 
the  ground,  helplessly  extending  his  arm  towards  the 
murderer  who  is  about  to  deal  the  fatal  blow ;  but  the 
tragic  horror  of  the  picture  is  concentrated  in  the  figure 
of  the  saint's  companion,  who,  overcome  by  terror,  is 
taking  refuge  in  flight. 

The  natural  and  skilful  arrangement  of  the  scenery, 
heightened  by  the  incomparable  coloring  of  Titian, 
combines  to  justify  Vasari  in  saying,  "Titian  never  in 
all  his  life  produced  a  more  skilful  or  finished  work." 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


107 


The  original  picture  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1867,  in 
the  Chapel  of  the  Rosario,  having  been  placed  there 
temporarily  while  the  altar  of  the  church  was  being  re- 
paired. The  copy  hangs  in  its  place.  Some  one  gives 
its  era  thus  :  "  Painted  when  Luther  was  at  his  zenith, 
it  perished  in  the  days  of  Garibaldi." 

Titian  was  born  in  1477,  an^  died  in  1576. 


88.    THE  KEY  OF  DEATH. 

The  "  Key  of  Death  "  is  apparently  a  large  key,  which 
is  shown  among  the  weapons  at  the  arsenal  at  Venice. 

It  was  invented  by  Tibaldo,  who,  disappointed  in  love., 
designed  this  instrument  for  the  destruction  of  his  rival. 

The  key  is  so  constructed  that  the  handle  may  be 
turned  around,  revealing  a  small  spring,  which  being 
pressed,  a  very  fine  needle  is  driven  with  considerable 
force  from  the  other  end.  This  needle  is  so  very  fine, 
that  the  flesh  closes  over  the  wound  immediately,  leav- 
ing no  mark ;  but  the  death  of  the  victim  is  almost  in- 
stantaneous. 


89.  POMPEII. 

"  I  stood  within  the  city  disinterred, 
And  heard  the  autumnal  leaves  like  light  footfalls 
Of  spirits  passing  through  the  streets." 

Shelley. 

The  beautiful  town  of  Pompeii  was  in  its  full  glory 
at  the  commencement  of  the  Christian  era,  and  was  a 
city  of  wealth  and  refinement,  having  thirty-five  thou- 
sand inhabitants. 

The  town  was  beautifully  located  at  the  foot  of 
Mount  Vesuvius,  on  the  bay  of  Naples. 


io8 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


The  whole  district  is  volcanic  ;  and  a  few  years  before 
the  final  catastrophe  (A.D.  63),  an  earthquake  had 
shaken  Pompeii  to  its  foundations. 

On  Aug.  24,  A.D.  79,  occurred  that  terrific  eruption 
of  Mount  Vesuvius  which  in  one  day  overwhelmed  the 
cities  of  Pompeii,  Herculaneum,  and  Stabiae. 

For  more  than  sixteen  hundred  years  Pompeii  lay 
undisturbed  in  its  bed  of  ashes  and  hardened  mud  from 
twenty  to  seventy  feet  deep.  In  1689  some  antique 
bronzes  and  utensils  were  discovered  there  by  a  peas- 
ant, but  it  was  not  until  1755  that  excavations  were 
begun.  These  have  been  assiduously  prosecuted,  until 
to-day  three  hundred  and  sixty  houses,  temples,  thea- 
tres, schools,  stores,  factories,  etc.,  have  been  thrown 
open  before  us  with  their  treasured  contents,  thereby 
giving  us  a  perfect  picture  of  a  city  of  eighteen  hundred 
years  ago. 

The  remains  found  are  in  a  remarkable  state  of  pres- 
ervation, owing  to  the  fact  that  the  city  was  destroyed, 
not  by  lava,  but  by  showers  of  ashes,  sand,  and  cinders, 
which  penetrated  into  every  nook,  and,  as  it  were,  her- 
metically sealed  up  the  town. 

The  excavations  were  commenced  in  1785  by  order 
of  Charles  III.,  and  have  been  carried  on  by  the  Neo- 
politan  Government  ever  since. 

In  1 8 16  Ferdinand  I.  appropriated  the  museum  at 
Naples  for  the  reception  of  the  spoils  from  Pompeii  and 
Herculaneum. 

A  number  of  halls,  entirely  occupied  by  frescoes  and 
mosaics  chiefly  found  at  Pompeii,  are  called  the  Pom- 
peian  Halls.  Bulwer's  "  Last  Days  of  Pompeii "  con- 
tains a  fine  description  of  the  eruption  which  destroyed 
the  city,  and  of  its  present  appearance. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


IO9 


"  Nearly  seventeen  centuries  had  rolled  away  when  the  city  of 
Pompeii  was  disinterred  from  its  silent  tomb,  all  vivid  with  un- 
dimmed  hues;  its  walls  fresh  as  if  painted  yesterday,  not  a  line 
faded  on  the  rich  mosaic  of  its  floors,  in  the  forum  the  half-fin- 
ished columns  as  left  by  the  workmen's  hand,  in  its  gardens  the 
sacrificial  tripod,  in  its  halls  the  chest  of  treasure,  in  its  baths 
the  strigil,  in  its  theatre  the  counter  of  admission,  in  its  saloons 
the  furniture  and  the  lamp,  in  its  triclinia  the  fragments  of  the 
last  feast,  in  its  cubicula  the  perfumes  and  the  rouge  of  fated 
beauty,  and  everywhere  the  bones  and  skeletons  of  those  who 
once  moved  the  springs  of  that  minute  yet  gorgeous  machine  of 
luxury  and  life." 


90.    THE  ORIGINAL  JEANIE  DEANS. 

The  original  of  Jeanie  Deans  in  Sir  Walter  Scott's 
"Heart  of  Mid-Lothian"  was  Helen  Walker,  a  young 
Scotch  girl.  She  was  left  an  orphan  with  the  charge 
of  a  sister  considerably  younger  than  herself,  whom  she 
maintained  and  educated  by  her  own  exertions. 

Attached  to  her  by  so  many  ties,  it  will  not  be  hard 
to  conceive  Jeanie  Deans's  feelings  when  she  found 
that  this  only  sister  must  be  tried  by  the  laws  of  her 
country  for  child-murder,  and  that  she  was  called  as 
principal  witness  against  her.  It  was  impossible  for 
her  to  swear  to  a  falsehood,  and  by  her  testimony  her 
sister  was  found  guilty  and  condemned  to  death. 

By  the  laws  of  Scotland,  six  weeks  must  elapse  be- 
tween the  pronouncing  of  a  sentence  and  its  execution. 

On  the  very  day  of  her  sister's  condemnation,  Helen 
Walker  had  a  petition  drawn  up,  stating  the  peculiar 
circumstances  of  the  case,  and  set  out  on  foot  for 
London. 

Arrived  there,  she  presented  her  petition  to  the  Duke 
of  Argyle,  who  was  so  much  impressed  with  her  bravery 
and  devotion  to  her  sister,  that  he  procured  the  pardon 


no 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


she  asked  for ;  and  Helen  returned  with  it  just  in  time 
to  save  her  sister's  life. 

The  lady  from  whom  Sir  Walter  Scott  obtained  this 
story,  Mrs.  Goldie,  was  extremely  anxious  to  have  a 
tombstone,  with  an  appropriate  inscription  upon  it, 
raised  to  the  memory  of  Helen  Walker ;  and  she  re- 
quested Scott  to  write  the  inscription,  which  request  he 
willingly  complied  with. 

The  tombstone  with  his  inscription  may  be  seen  in 
the  churchyard  of  Iron  Gray,  about  six  miles  from 
Dumfries,  Scotland,  where  Helen  Walker  lies  buried. 


91.    THE  GATES  OF  PARADISE. 

After  the  plague  which  visited  Florence,  Italy,  in 
the  year  1400,  had  subsided,  the  people  decided,  as  a 
thank-offering,  to  add  bronze  gates  to  the  baptistery  of 
the  Church  of  St.  John  the  Baptist. 

The  Guild  of  Merchants,  to  whom  the  church  be- 
longed, invited  a  competition  of  the  artists  of  the 
day. 

Six  artists  shared  the  contest  with  Ghiberti,  among 
them  Brunelleschi.  One  year  was  allowed  for  them 
to  complete  a  model.  Thirty-four  foreign  and  native 
artists  were  appointed  as  a  deciding  committee.  Ghi- 
berti's  work  was  considered  faultless ;  and  the  contract 
was  awarded  to  him  on  the  23d  of  November,  1403.'  A 
number  of  other  artists  were  assigned  to  help  him. 
The  work  lasted  twenty-one  years.  On  the  19th  of 
April,  1424,  both  folding-doors  were  hung  on  their 
hinges.  The  work  was  so  eminently  satisfactory,  that 
the  Guild  decided  that  a  third  door  should  be  consigned 
to  him  also.    He  was  no  longer  to  be  bound  to  a  single 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Ill 


model ;  the  only  condition  in  the  contract  being,  that,  so 
long  as  he  was  working  at  the  door,  he  was  to  accept 
no  other  commission  without  the  consent  of  the  Guild 
of  Merchants  ;  otherwise,  as  concerned  time  and  cost, 
he  was  left  to  his  own  will.  The  door  was  completed 
and  conveyed  to  its  place  June  16,  1452  :  and  not  long 
afterwards  Lorenzo  Ghiberti  died  (1455)  ;  the  principal 
part  of  his  life,  amounting  to  seventy-four  years,  having 
been  devoted  to  these  two  works. 

The  second  door  surpassed  the  first  in  every  respect, 
and  was  the  first  important  creation  of  Florentine  art, 
the  influence  of  which  appears  evident  upon  Michael 
Angelo. 

The  creation  of  Adam,  the  drunkenness  of  Noah,  and 
the  death  of  Goliath,  painted  by  Michael  Angelo  on  the 
ceiling  of  the  Sistine  Chapel,  owe  their  primary  idea  to 
the  small  figures  of  Ghiberti's  compositions.  Michael 
Angelo  said  of  these  doors,  "  They  are  worthy  to  be  the 
gates  of  paradise. 

The  history  of  the  Old  Testament  is  represented  in 
ten  large  panels  :  — 

1.  The  creation  of  Adam. 

2.  Adam  and  Eve  driven  out  of  Eden. 

3.  Noah's  thank-offering  after  the  Deluge. 

4.  Abraham's  sacrifice  on  Mount  Moriah. 

5.  Esau's  renunciation  of  his  birthright. 

6.  Joseph  and  his  brethren. 

7.  Moses  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord  on  Sinai. 

8.  Joshua  before  Jericho. 

9.  David  and  Goliath. 

10.  The  Queen  of  Sheba  at  Solomon's  court. 

This  must  always  be  considered  one  of  the  grandest 
works  of  modern  art.  Plaster  casts  of  these  wonderful 
doors,  or  gates,  have  been  brought  to  America.  Two 


112 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


bronze  doors  on  a  similar  plan  are  in  the  Capitol  at 
Washington,  illustrating  in  one  the  life  of  Columbus, 
in  the  other  the  life  of  Washington. 


92.    "THERE'S  MANY  A  SLIP  'TWIXT  THE  CUP 
AND  THE  LIP." 

Ancaeus,  king  of  the  Leleges  in  Samos  (an  island  in 
the  Grecian  Archipelago),  planted  a  vineyard ;  and  so 
heavily  did  he  oppress  his  slaves,  that  one  of  them,  it  is 
said,  prophesied  to  him  that  he  would  never  live  to  taste 
the  wine  thereof.  When  the  wine  was  made,  the  king 
sent  for  his  slave,  and  said,  "  What  do  you  think  of  your 
prophecy  now?"  The  slave  made  answer,  " There's 
many  a  slip  'twixt  the  cup  and  the  lip :"  the  words  were 
scarcely  uttered  when  Ancaeus  was  informed  that  a  wild 
boar  had  broken  into  his  vineyard,  and  was  laying  it 
waste.  Ancseus,  setting  down  the  cup  untasted,  has- 
tened to  attack  and  drive  out  the  boar;  but  he  was 
killed  in  the  encounter. 


93.    CRUELTY  OF  IVAN  THE  TERRIBLE. 

Ivan  IV.  of  Russia,  called  the  Terrible,  was  the  son 
of  Vassili  V.  When  his  father  died  he  was  but  a 
child ;  and  his  mother  Helena,  contrary  to  the  Russian 
custom,  made  herself  regent,  and  for  four  years  held 
her  position,  putting  down  all  opposition  with  terrible 
cruelty. 

In  1537  she  was  poisoned ;  and  the  regency  was  seized 
by  the  Shuiski,  a  powerful  family  who  had  received 
many  humiliations  at  the  hands  of  the  grand  princes, 
and  who  now  avenged  themselves  by  heaping  all  man- 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


113 


ner  of  insults  on  the  young  Ivan.  They  punished  all 
opposition  to  their  power  with  relentless  cruelty ;  and 
Ivan  saw  his  friends  dragged  from  his  presence,  and  put 
to  death,  notwithstanding  his  entreaties. 

In  1543,  when  the  Czar  was  fourteen  years  old,  the 
Shuiski  were  overthrown  by  the  Gluiski,  another  promi- 
nent family,  who  pursued  the  same  course  of  cruelty 
and  despotism,  but  thrust  the  Czar  forward,  and  robbed 
and  killed  and  tortured  in  his  name. 

They  applauded  and  encouraged  the  development  of 
his  naturally  cruel  nature.  It  became  his  favorite 
amusement  to  torture  wild  animals,  and  to  throw  tame 
ones  down  from  the  summit  of  his  palace. 

In  1547  the  Gluiski  were  driven  out  and  massacred 
by  the  people  of  Moscow,  and  for  the  next  thirteen 
years  Russia  enjoyed  peace  and  quiet. 

In  1560  the  Czarina  Anastasia,  to  whom  Ivan  was 
much  attached,  died  ;  and  at  about  the  same  time  Ivan 
was  seized  with  a  terrible  illness  which  nearly  proved 
fatal,-  but  from  which  he  recovered,  though  he  showed 
symptoms  of  insanity,  and  would  break  forth  into  fright- 
ful fits  of  rage  on  the  slightest  provocation. 

He  delighted  to  inflict  suffering  on  his  people  ;  and  in 
Novgorod,  in  the  year  1570,  he  put  sixty  thousand  of 
his  subjects  to  death. 

"  He  butchered  with  his  own  hand  a  throng  of  the 
unfortunate  people  whom  he  heaped  together  in  a  vast 
enclosure ;  and  when  at  last  his  strength  failed  to 
second  his  fury,  he  gave  up  the  remainder  to  his  select 
guard,  to  his  slaves,  and  to  his  dogs." 

In  Moscow  five  hundred  of  the  most  illustrious  of 
the  nobles  were  tortured  and  put  to  death. 

Women  were  not  spared  any  more  than  men,  and 
hundreds  of  them  were  hung  in  their  own  doorways. 


H4 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


At  length  a  number  of  subjects,  headed  by  his  eldest 
son,  presented  a  supplication  for  mercy,  which  greatly 
enraged  Ivan ;  and  with  a  single  blow  of  his  iron-bound 
staff  he  laid  his  son  dead  at  his  feet.  His  remorse  for 
this  deed  greatly  hastened  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1584. 

In  spite  of  his  madness  and  tyranny,  Ivan  IV.  did 
more  for  the  greatness  of  Russia  than  any  of  his  pre- 
decessors. 

He  organized  the  first  standing  army,  concluded  com- 
mercial treaties  with  England,  and  induced  many  Eng- 
lishmen and  Germans  to  settle  in  his  empire. 

In  1569  he  set  up  the  first  printing-office  in  Moscow. 
He  was  the  first  ruler  to  assume  the  title  of  czar. 

Rurik  is  justly  regarded  as  the  founder  of  the  Russian 
Empire,  A.D.  862  :  he  gave  the  country  the  name  of 
Russia  from  the  tribe  to  which  he  belonged. 

Rurik  reigned  for  fifteen  years  with  Novgorod  as  his 
capital,  and  died  879. 

During  the  reign  of  his  successors,  Russia  was  divided 
into  numerous  principalities.  Ivan  III.,  called  "Ivan  the 
Great,"  succeeded  in  re-uniting  Russia,  and  was  the  first 
to  assume  the  title  of  "Autocrat  of  all  the  Russias." 
His  statesmanship  was  of  the  Macchiavellian  order,  but 
resulted  in  the  establishment  of  his  authority  over  the 
whole  of  Russia.  He  died  in  1505,  aged  sixty-seven 
years. 


94.    THE  KORAN. 

The  word  Koran  in  the  Arabic  language  signifies 
"  the  reading." 

That  Mohammed  is  the  real  author  of  the  Koran, 
there  is  no  doubt ;  but  the  Mohammedans  steadfastly 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS.  115 

deny  it  to  be  the  work  of  their  prophet,  the  orthodox 
among  them  believing  it  to  be  of  divine  origin.  Mo- 
hammed left  his  "revelations"  written  upon  palm-leaves 
and  skins,  which  were  thrown  promiscuously  into  a 
chest,  bearing  no  dates,  but  merely  the  places  of  reve- 
lation ;  some  marked  Mecca,  and  some  Medina. 

Three  years  after  the  death  of  the  prophet,  in  635, 
Abu-Bekr  collected  and  published  these  articles  in  the 
form  of  what  is  now  called  the  Koran.  It  is  as  highly 
esteemed  among  the  Mohammedans  as  the  Bible  is 
among  Christians  ;  and  among  that  people  of  theocratic 
views,  it  still  serves,  both  for  "law  andgospel." 


95.    BUDDHISTIC  MONUMENTS. 

Under  the  name  of  topes  are  included  the  most  im- 
portant class  of  Buddhist  architecture  in  India.  They 
consist  of  detached  pillars,  towers,  and  tumuli,  all  of  a 
sacred  or  monumental  character. 

The  word  tope  is  a  corruption  of  the  Sanscrit  stkupa, 
meaning  a  mound,  heap,  or  cairn.  The  oldest  topes 
are  in  the  shape  of  cupolas,  generally  spherical,  resting 
on  a  cylindrical  base  which  sometimes  rises  in  terraces. 
The  cupola  is  surmounted  by  a  roof  in  the  shape  of  a 
parasol,  the  emblem  of  Hindoo  royalty :  on  some  of  the 
topes  of  Sanchi  there  are  three  and  five  parasols. 

There  are  nine  hundred  of  these  topes  in  India, 
nearly  all  within  the  presidency  of  Bombay.  They  are 
generally  in  the  vicinity  of  a  temple  or  a  convent. 

In  the  interior  of  the  tope  is  the  cell  where  the  box 
containing  the  remains  of  the  departed  one  and  the 
"seven  precious  things"  are  placed.  This  cell  consists 
of  six  slabs  of  stone,  firmly  closed  after  the  box  has 


n6 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


been  placed  in  it,  which  is  done  when  the  structure  has 
attained  a  certain  height.  The  building  is  then  com- 
pleted so  that  the  cell  is  enclosed  on  all  sides  by  solid 
masonry. 

The  "  seven  precious  things "  referred  to  are  gold, 
silver,  lapis-lazuli,  crystal,  red-pearl,  diamonds,  and 
coral,  with  which  the  body  of  the  deceased  person  is 
ornamented. 

The  cupola  is  intended  to  represent  a  water-bubble, 
the  Buddhistic  symbol  of  the  perishability  of  the  world. 
The  parasol  is  the  emblem  of  Hindoo  royalty,  or  of  the 
royal  dignity  possessed  by  a  Buddhistic  saint. 


96.    MARY'S  LAMB. 

The  "Mary"  that  "had  a  little  lamb"  was  a  Massa- 
chusetts girl ;  and  her  lamb  was  one  of  twins,  thrust  out 
of  the  pen  by  its  unnatural  mother. 

Mary  took  it  home,  and  cared  for  it ;  and  it  became  a 
great  pet  in  the  family.  One  morning  when  it  was  to 
be  taken  to  pasture,  it  could  nowhere  be  found ;  but  as 
Mary  went  singing  on  her  way  to  school,  it  heard  her 
voice,  and  followed  her. 

At  the  schoolhouse  door,  for  fear  it  would  stray  away, 
she  picked  it  up,  and  managed  to  carry  it  secretly  to 
her  desk,  where  it  lay  quietly  covered  with  her  shawl 
until  she  was  called  to  her  spelling-class,  when  the  lamb 
got  up,  and  pattered  after  her.  The  children  laughed, 
and  the  teacher  reproved,  until  her  explanation  was 
given,  when  he  very  kindly  allowed  her  to  take  her  pet 
home. 

It  happened  on  that  morning  that  a  young  man 
named  Rowlston,  the  son  of  a  riding-master  in  Boston, 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


117 


who  was  fitting  himself  for  Harvard,  was  at  school ;  and 
a  few  days  after,  he  produced  three  verses  of  the  poem. 
How  it  ever  came  to  be  published,  Mary  did  not  know ; 
for  the  young  man  died  soon  after,  ignorant  of  the  im- 
mortality of  his  verses. 

The  lamb  lived  many  years,  and  came  to  its  death  by 
the  horns  of  an  angry  cow. 


97.    THE  MAROONS. 

These  people  were  the  descendants  of  the  African 
slaves  brought  to  the  island  of  Jamaica  by  the  Spaniards. 
The  island  of  Jamaica  was  discovered  by  Columbus  in 
1494.  It  is  about  the  size  of  the  State  of  Connecticut, 
with  a  mountain  range  running  through  the  island,  ris- 
ing in  some  places  to  a  mile  in  height.  The  name 
Jamaica  means  "The  Isle  of  Springs." 

During  the  conquest  of  Jamaica  by  the  English,  the 
Maroons,  deserted  by  their  masters,  fled  to  the  moun- 
tain fastnesses,  where  they  lived  a  fierce  and  wild  life. 

Their  numbers  being  daily  increased  by  accessions  of 
deserting  slaves,  they  soon  became  formidable  to  the 
white  inhabitants,  whom  they  plundered  and  assassi- 
nated. In  1738  an  agreement  was  entered  into  by 
which  they  secured  their  independence,  and  they  main, 
tained  it  for  one  hundred  and  forty  years  ;  but  the 
English  finally  determined  to  get  rid  of  them  from  the 
island,  and  barbarously  resorted  to  the  use  of  blood- 
hounds. 

One  hundred  of  these  ferocious  creatures  were  im- 
ported from  Cuba,  and,  under  the  direction  of  experi- 
enced huntsmen,  were  let  loose  upon  the  mountaineers, 
to  seize  and  tear  them  to  pieces. 


n8 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Thus  hemmed  in  on  every  side,  and  hunted  down  like 
wild  animals,  the  poor  Maroons  had  no  alternative 
except  submission. 

Only  about  six  hundred  escaped :  they  were  trans- 
ported from  the  burning  climate  of  Jamaica  to  the  bleak 
shores  of  Nova  Scotia,  and  there  they  miserably  per- 
ished. 

In  1833  the  English  Government  emancipated  all 
slaves  in  the  West  Indies,  requiring  still  a  period  of 
apprenticeship,  and  making  an  allowance  to  owners  of 
about  nineteen  pounds  for  each  slave,  in  a  slave  popu- 
lation of  309,338. 


98.    WHITTIER'S  "PENNSYLVANIA  PILGRIM." 

Francis  Daniel  Pastorius,  the  "  Pennsylvania  Pil- 
grim," was  the  founder  and  first  settler  of  Germantown, 
Philadelphia. 

He,  in  company  with  a  small  number  of  German 
Friends,  bought  of  William  Penn  a  large  tract  of  land 
between  the  Delaware  and  Schuylkill  Rivers.  They 
divided  it  into  four  hamlets,  and  Pastorius  became  the 
head  and  law-giver  of  the  Germantown  settlement.  In 
the  year  1688  he  drew  up  a  memorial  from  the  Quaker 
meeting  of  Germantown  against  slaveholding.  It  is 
noteworthy  as  the  first  protest  made  by  a  religious  body 
against  negro  slavery. 

Pastorius  left  many  published  and  unpublished  works, 
and  was  honored  and  beloved  in  his  Germantown  home. 

He  is  buried  in  the  Friends'  Burying-Ground  at  Ger- 
mantown, but  no  tombstone  records  the  date  of  birth 
and  death  of  one  so  important  in  the  early  history  of 
the  place. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


99.    THE  MOSCOW  CATHEDRAL. 

The  great  Moscow  cathedral,  lately  completed,  has 
cost  more  than  eleven  million  dollars,  and  will  accommo- 
date ten  thousand  worshippers.  It  is,  says  "  The  Lon- 
don Times,"  one  of  the  most  remarkable  churches  in 
Europe. 

Not  many  cathedrals  can  boast  of  having  been  built 
in  a  lifetime ;  but  there  are  Russians  still  living  who 
saw  the  French  army  depart  from  Moscow,  to  com- 
memorate which  event  the  Church  of  St.  Saviour  has 
been  erected.  In  less  than  three  months  after  the  re- 
treat of  the  foe,  a  decree  went  forth  from  Alexander  I., 
that  a  memorial  temple  should  be  built ;  and  five  years 
later  the  foundations  were  laid,  but  not  on  the  present 
site.  The  emperor  accepted  plans,  which,  had  they 
been  carried  out,  would  have  given  to  Russia  the 
highest  building  in  the  world  ;  namely,  seven  hundred 
and  seventy-six  feet,  on  the  Sparrow  Hills,  between  the 
routes  of  the  entrance  and  departure  of  Napoleon  :  but 
the  undertaking  for  a  while  collapsed;  and  the  architect 
and  building  committee,  after  expending  or  misappro- 
priating upwards  of  four  million  rubles,  were  banished, 
and  their  estates  confiscated. 

The  Emperor  Nicholas  adopted  new  plans,  and  chose 
the  present  site,  which  has  cost,  with  embankments, 
terrace,  etc.,  upwards  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  thou- 
sand pounds,  and  where,  at  the  outset,  a  nunnery  had  to 
be  removed,  and  seventy  thousand  cubic  feet  of  earth  to 
be  displaced,  before,  on  the  27th  of  July,  1839,  tne  lav_ 
ing  of  the  foundations  was  commenced.  The  building 
continued  slowly  to  rise  for  twenty  years  ;  and  in  1858 
the  scaffolding  was  removed,  this  latter  item  alone  hav- 
ing cost  two  hundred  and  seventy-seven  thousand  rubles, 


120 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


or  upwards  of  forty  thousand  pounds.  A  quarter  of  a 
century  has  been  expended  on  fittings  and  decoration. 

The  style  is  ancient  Russian,  or,  rather,  Graeco-Byzan- 
tine ;  the  most  striking  feature  of  which,  to  a  western 
eye,  on  the  exterior  is  the  five  cupolas,  for  the  gilding 
of  which  were  required  nine  hundred  pounds  of  gold, 
their  total  cost  being  upward  of  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enty thousand  pounds.  The  domes  are  surmounted  by 
crosses ;  the  centre  one,  nearly  thirty  feet  high,  standing 
three  hundred  and  forty  feet  from  the  ground.  The 
building  covers  an  area  of  seventy-three  thousand 
square  feet.  The  bells,  as  usual  in  Russia,  are  of  pon- 
derous weight.  The  largest,  or  "  holy-day  "  bell,  weighs 
twenty-six  tons,  or  half  as  much  again  as  "  Great  Paul." 
Even  the  second,  or  "  Sunday  "  bell,  is  within  a  ton's 
weight  of  our  bantling;  while  the  smallest  of  the  " every- 
day "  bells  descends  to  about  thirty  pounds.  The  cost 
of  the  peal  was  upwards  of  thirteen  thousand  pounds. 


ioo.    THE  SPHINX. 

"  What  animal  walks  on  four  legs  in  the  morning, 
two  at  noon,  and  three  at  night  ? " 

The  Theban  Sphinx  was  a  monster  sent  by  Juno  to 
lay  waste  the  neighborhood  of  Thebes  in  Bceotia.  It 
had  the  head  and  bust  of  a  woman,  the  body  of  a  dog, 
the  tail  of  a  serpent,  the  wings  of  a  bird,  the  paws  of  a 
lion,  and  a -human  voice. 

This  terrible  monster  soon  became  the  terror  of  the 
country,  by  proposing  the  riddle  above  quoted,  and  by 
devouring  all  who  could  not  explain  it.  In  the  midst  of 
the  general  consternation,  the  Oracle  told  the  people 
that  the  Sphinx  would  destroy  itself  as  soon  as  the  rid- 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


121 


die  was  explained.  Upon  hearing  this,  Creon,  King  of 
Thebes,  promised  his  crown  and  his  sister  Jocasta  in 
marriage  to  him  who  should  explain  the  riddle,  and  thus 
rid  the  country  of  this  monster. 

CEdipus,  attracted  by  the  fame  of  the  Sphinx  riddle, 
made  a  visit  to  Thebes.  He  came  to  the  monster,  and 
explained  that  man  "  in  the  morning "  of  life  walks 
upon  his  hands  and  feet,  "at  noon"  he  walks  upon  his 
two  legs  erect,  and  "  in  the  evening  "  he  supports  the 
infirmities  of  old  age  with  a  staff. 

As  soon  as  the  Sphinx  heard  this  explanation,  she 
dashed  her  head  against  a  rock,  and  expired. 

CEdipus  became  King  of  Thebes,  and  married  Jo- 
casta. 

Some  writers  on  mythology  wish  to  unriddle  the 
Sphinx  riddle  by  the  supposition  that  one  of  the  daugh- 
ters of  Laius  laid  waste  the  country  of  Thebes  with  her 
continual  depredations,  because  she  had  been  refused  a 
part  of  her  father's  possessions.  The  lion's  paw  ex- 
pressed (as  they  say)  her  cruelty,  the  body  of  the  dog 
her  lasciviousness,  her  wings  the  despatch  she  used  in 
her  expeditions,  and  her  enigmas  the  snares  she  laid 
for  strangers  and  travellers. 


ioi.    BURIAL  OF  GEN.  KELLERMAN'S  HEART. 

Francois  Christophe  Kellerman,  Duke  of  Valmy  and 
Marshal  of  France,  was  born,  according  to  some  ac- 
counts, at  Strasbourg,  and  according  to  others,  near 
Rothenburg,  Bavaria,  May  30,  1735. 

He  entered  the  French  army  as  a  volunteer,  and 
served  in  the  Seven  Years'  War,  and  in  the  Polish 
expedition  of  Louis  XV.  in  1771. 


122 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


In  1789  he  embraced  the  cause  of  the  Revolution, 
and  in  1791  became  general  of  the  army  in  Alsace. 

In  August,  1792,  he  was  made  commander  of  the 
Army  of  the  Centre,  with  orders  to  effect  a  connection 
with  Dumouriez  in  Champagne. 

The  invading  army  of  Prussians  was  marching  to 
attack  the  almost  defenceless  city  of  Paris,  with  perfect 
confidence  of  success,  when  Kellerman,  who  saw  how 
important  it  was  that  they  should  not  accomplish  their 
purpose,  by  a  series  of  brilliant  manoeuvres  joined  his 
forces  with  those  of  Dumouriez  :  then  by  his  daring 
and  bravery,  though  his  army  numbered  but  forty-seven 
thousand  men,  he  routed  the  allies,  numbering  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand,  on  the  field  of  Valmy,  and 
saved  Paris. 

When  Napoleon  came  into  power,  Kellerman  was 
successively  made  senator,  Marshal  of  France,  and 
Duke  of  Valmy. 

In  1814  he  voted  for  the  deposition  of  the  emperor, 
and  became  a  peer  under  the  royal  government. 

Kellerman  always  considered  the  battle  of  Valmy, 
though  not  a  sanguinary  battle,  the  most  important  of 
his  many  engagements.  On  his  death-bed  he  requested 
that  his  body  should  be  buried  in  Paris,  and  his  heart 
on  the  field  where  the  battle  had  taken  place,  that  it 
might  repose  with  his  old  comrades-in-arms.  He  died 
in  Paris,  Sept.  12,  1820.  France  now  calls  herself  a 
republic.  She  first  assumed  that  title  on  the  26th  of 
September,  1792,  the  very  day  on  which  the  battle 
of  Valmy  was  fought  and  won.  To  that  battle  the 
democratic  spirit  owes  its  preservation  ;  and  its  influ- 
ence has  been  felt  ever  since,  and  even  at  the  present 
day.  The  "republic"  of  1792  became  the  consulate 
of  1799,  and  the  empire  of  1804,  both  democratic  in 


CURIO  US  Q  UES  TIONS. 


123 


theory,  at  least.  The  return  of  the  Bourbons,  in  18 15, 
was  but  an  episode  in  the  march  of  democracy  in 
France.  Louis  Philippe  was  a  "  citizen  king ;  "  Louis 
Napoleon,  a  declining  ray  of  his  uncle's  glory  ;  and 
France  is  to-day  a  republic  again,  in  reality  and  in 
name. 


102.    PLOT  OF  THE  OPERA  "LOHENGRIN." 

The  scene  of  the  opera  "  Lohengrin "  (Knight  of 
the  Swan)  is  laid  in  Antwerp,  Belgium,  in  the  early 
part  of  the  tenth  century. 

Henry  I.,  King  of  Germany,  surnamed  the  "  Fowler," 
has  arrived  at  Antwerp  with  the  intention  of  repelling 
the  Hungarians,  who  have  threatened  to  invade  his 
dominions. 

He  finds  Brabant  in  a  state  of  anarchy.  Godfrey, 
the  young  son  of  the  late  duke,  has  disappeared  ;  and 
his  sister,  Elsa,  is  accused  by  her  guardian,  Frede- 
rick of  Telramund,  of  murdering  him.  Frederick  now 
claims  to  be  the  ruler  of  the  duchy  by  right  of  his 
wife  Ortrud.  Elsa,  appearing  before  King  Henry  I., 
asserts  her  innocence ;  and  it  is  agreed  that  the  cause 
shall  be  decided  by  a  judicial  combat  between  Frede- 
rick and  any  champion  who  may  appear  on  behalf  of  the 
accused.  When  Elsa's  cause  seems  almost  hopeless,  a 
knight  appears,  ascending  the  river  Scheldt  in  a  boat 
drawn  by  a  single  swan,  which,  after  having  landed,  he 
dismisses.  He  undertakes  her  defence ;  Elsa  promising 
that  if  he  is  victorious  she  will  bestow  upon  him  her 
hand,  and  never  question  him  as  to  his  name  or  origin. 

In  the  combat  which  ensues,  Frederick  is  stricken  to 
the  ground  by  his  unknown  antagonist,  and  then  de 
prived  of  his  title  and  estate. 


124 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Preparations  are  made  for  the  immediate  marriage  of 
the  stranger  with  Elsa ;  but,  while  all  is  revelry  in  the 
abode  of  the  knights,  Frederick  and  Ortrud  are  with- 
out, plotting  how  they  may  revenge  and  recover  their 
lost  honors. 

Ortrud  at  last  presents  herself  at  the  kemenatey  or 
abode  of  the  ladies,  gains  admission,  and  secures  the 
favor  of  Elsa,  who  promises  to  obtain  the  pardon  of 
Frederick.  She  also  listens  to  the  suggestions  of  Or- 
trud, that  she  ought  to  inquire  into  the  name  and  ori- 
gin of  her  future  husband,  who,  without  a  ducal  title, 
has  been  appointed  Protector  of  Brabant.  As  the  nup- 
tial procession  approaches  the  cathedral,  the  conspira- 
tors reveal  themselves  in  their  true  characters ;  Ortrud 
opposing  Elsa  at  the  door,  and  Frederick  declaring  the 
unknown  knight  to  be  a  sorcerer  who  has  gained  his 
victory  by  unfair  means.  The  intruders  are  expelled 
by  the  king  and  people,  and  the  marriage  takes  place ; 
but  when  the  bride  and  bridegroom  are  left  alone,  Elsa, 
roused  by  the  evil  suggestions  of  Ortrud,  begins,  not- 
withstanding her  promise,  to  question  the  knight,  who 
in  vain  endeavors  to  allay  her  suspicions.  Frederick, 
who  enters  the  room,  and  is  about  to  assail  his  former 
antagonist,  is  slain  by  him. 

On  the  following  morning  the  explanation  so  un- 
wisely solicited  by  Elsa  is  given  in  the  presence  of  the 
king. 

The  knight  is  the  son  of  King  Percival,  keeper  of 
the  mysterious  cup  known  as  the  "  Holy  Grail,"  to 
whose  service  he  is  attached ;  and  his  name  is  Lohen- 
grin. It  is  to  the  Grail  that  he  is  indebted  for  his 
invisible  power ;  but  now  that  all  is  revealed,  he  must 
no  longer  remain  in  Brabant. 

The  swan  returns  with  the  boat  to  bear  him  away ; 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


125 


but  he  removes  a  gold  chain  from  its  neck,  and  in  its 
stead  appears  the  youth  Godfrey,  who  had  been  changed 
to  a  swan  by  the  sorceress  Ortrud. 

Godfrey  is  now  declared  the  rightful  Duke  of  Bra- 
bant ;  while  Lohengrin  departs,  to  the  intense  grief  of 
his  bride,  the  king,  and  the  people. 

This  opera  was  composed  while,  for  political  reasons, 
Wagner  was  residing  in  Switzerland  in  1848. 

The  words  of  the  libretto,  as  of  all  Wagner's  operas, 
are  of  his  own  composition. 


103.    MICHAEL  ANGELO'S  VOW. 

Cardinal  Farnesina  engaged  Raphael  to  decorate  the 
Farnesian  mansion  on  the  banks  of  the  Tiber. 

Raphael  agreed  to  undertake  the  work  on  condition 
that  no  one  should  be  allowed  to  inspect  it  until  it  was 
completed.  Much  curiosity  was  excited  by  this  secrecy, 
and  the  following  story  has  been  current :  Michael 
Angelo  determined  to  gain  access  to  the  mansion,  and 
took  an  oath  that  he  would  put  a  stop  to  Raphael's 
work. 

With  this  end  in  view,  having  found  that  Raphael 
came  late  to  work,  he  disguised  himself  as  a  vender  of 
wine  and  biscuit,  and  started  toward  the  palace  crying 
his  wares. 

Going  in  and  out  among  the  workmen  who  were 
employed  about  the  palace,  he  soon  found  the  scaffold- 
ing and  wall  made  ready  for  the  painter. 

After  engaging  the  attention  of  the  men  with  the 
wine  and  biscuit,  he  ascended  the  scaffolding,  and  drew 
upon  the  wall  a  gigantic  head  of  Jupiter,  then  hurriedly 
left  the  building :  his  vow  was  accomplished.  When 


126 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Raphael  came,  he  instantly  exclaimed,  upon  seeing  the 
head,  "  Michael  Angelo  ! "  and  left  the  palace,  never  to 
return.  The  drawing,  covered  with  glass,  is  still  on 
exhibition  in  the  Farnesian  Palace.  [Of  course,  this  story 
is  not  now  credited.] 


104.    THE  NECK-VERSE. 

William  Rufus,  the  second  of  the  Norman  kings  of 
England,  established  what  was  called  the  "  Benefit  of 
the  Clergy,"  by  which  any  one  condemned  to  death 
could  save  his  life  by  proving  that  he  could  read. 

The  first  verse  of  the  fifty-first  psalm  was  chosen  as 
the  test  to  be  read,  hence  it  was  called  the  "  Neck- 
Verse." 

This  law  continued  in  force  from  the  year  1087  until 
the  close  of  Queen  Anne's  reign  in  the  year  1700; 
although  for  a  long  period  it  had  fallen  into  desuetude, 
and  even  become  a  dead  letter. 


105.    MARIAN  GAMES. 

The  year  932  was  signalized  by  the  remarkable  event 
celebrated  in  song  and  story  as  the  "  Loss  and  Recap- 
ture of  the  Brides  of  Venice." 

It  is  a  curious  illustration  of  the  manners  of  a  stormy 
and  stirring  time.  A  custom  had  long  prevailed,  that 
every  year  on  St.  Mary's  Eve  all  the  brides  in  Venice 
were  to  be  married ;  so  that  there  was  but  one  marriage 
day  each  year  for  the  nobles  of  the  whole  nation. 

Each  maiden  brought  her  dowry  with  her  in  a  small 
cassetta  (chest).  They  went  first  to  the  church,  and 
waited  for  the  youths,  who  having  come,  mass  was  cele- 
brated, and  the  bishop  preached,  and  blessed  them. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


127 


The  bridal  costume  was  always  white,  the  hair  flow- 
ing loosely  over  the  shoulders  interwoven  with  threads 
of  gold.  Gondolas,  beautifully  decked  with  flowers  and 
flags,  and  gay  with  music,  bore  the  procession  of  brides 
to  the  Church  of  San  Pietro. 

The  sea-rovers  of  Trieste,  not  ignorant  of  the  custom, 
had  this  year  concealed  themselves  during  the  night  in 
an  uninhabited  locality  called  Olivolo ;  and,  as  soon  as 
the  cortege  and  the  beautiful  brides  had  entered  the 
cathedral,  they  leaped  from  their  hiding-places,  burst 
open  the  sacred  doors,  rushed  into  the  midst  of  the 
dismayed  multitude  with  flashing  swords,  and  seizing 
the  weeping,  shrieking  maidens,  carried  them  to  their 
barks,  and  hoisted  sail  for  Trieste. 

The  doge  (Candiano  II.),  who  was  present  at  the 
festival,  arose  in  a  storm  of  indignation,  and  summoned 
the  men  to  arms. 

Leaping  into  a  few  vessels,  hastily  put  at  their  dispo- 
sal by  the  Corporation  of  Trunkmakers,  they  plied  their 
oars  lustily  in  pursuit  of  the  rovers.  They  overtook 
them  in  a  creek  still  known  as  the  "  Porto  delle  Don- 
zelle."  Candiano  led  the  attack,  and  the  Venetians 
fought  with  such  fury  that  not  one  of  the  sea-rovers 
escaped  their  swords. 

The  brides  were  brought  back  to  the  city  in  triumph ; 
and  in  the  evening  of  that  eventful  day  the  nuptial 
rites,  so  strangely  interrupted,  were  celebrated  with 
unusual  pomp. 

In  memory  of  this  event,  a  solemn  procession  of 
twelve  young  women  took  place  yearly,  and  was  at- 
tended by  the  doge  and  the  priests  to  the  Church  of 
Santa  Maria  Formosa,  in  the  trunkmakers'  quarter. 

The  tradition  runs,  that,  when  the  Doge  Candiano 
proposed  to  reward  the  trunkmakers  for  the  use  of  the 


128 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


vessels,  this  andata>  or  anniversary,  was  all  they  would 
accept. 

The  Marian  Games,  La  Feste  delle  Marie  as  they 
were  called,  were  observed  with  great  splendor  until 
the  year  1379,  tne  epoch  of  the  disastrous  war  of  Chioz- 
zia,  when  they  were  discontinued,  and  soon  lapsed  into 
desuetude. 

It  was  the  custom  to  elect  twelve  maidens,  two  from 
each  of  the  six  divisions  of  the  city ;  and  it  was  deter- 
mined by  lot  which  of  the  centrades,  or  quarters,  of  the 
town,  should  furnish  them  with  dresses.  As  this  in- 
volved a  great  amount  of  competition,  the  dresses  were 
of  the  costliest  description;  and  frequently  the  jewels 
of  the  treasury  of  St.  Mark  were  borrowed  to  enhance 
their  splendor.  The  celebration  commenced  on  St. 
Mark's  Day,  Jan.  31  ;  the  next  day  the  procession  passed 
through  the  streets  of  the  city ;  and  on  the  2d  of  Feb- 
ruary they  repaired  to  the  Church  of  Santa  Maria 
Formosa. 

The  festival  attracted  such  a  throng  of  visitors  from 
all  parts  of  Italy,  that  special  police  regulations  were 
passed  to  preserve  order,  and  the  Council  of  Ten  were 
twice  summoned. 


106.    "THE  LUSIAD." 

Vasco  de  Gama  is  the  chief  hero  of  "The  Lusiad;" 
but  the  poem  presents  a  grouping  of  all  the  great  people 
and  events  in  the  history  of  Portugal,  —  ancient  Lusi- 
tania. 

"The  Lusiad"  is  one  of  the  noblest  monuments  ever 
raised  to  the  national  glory  of  any  people. 

Camoens,  the  author,  resolved  to  do  for  Portugal 
what  Homer  had  done  for  Greece. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


129 


The  poem  was  written  in  the  sixteenth  century, 
which  has  been  called  the  heroic  age  of  Portugal,  and 
was  the  result  of  the  general  impetus,  literary  as  well 
as  commercial,  which  pervaded  Europe  after  the  many 
maritime  discoveries. 

The  rounding  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  by  Vasco 
de  Gama  is  the  main  feature  of  the  poem  ;  but  one  of 
the  most  interesting  episodes  is  the  crowning,  after 
death,  of  Inez  de  Castro  as  Queen  of  Portugal. 

Greek  mythology  forms  the  machinery,  as  it  were, 
of  this  epic  ;  and  it  is  named  "  The  Lusiad  "  after  the 
mythological  Lusius,  who  is  said  to  have  visited  Portu- 
gal, and  founded  Lisbon. 

Luiz  de  Camoens,  the  author  of  "The  Lusiad,"  was 
born  in  or  near  Lisbon  some  time  between  15 17  and 
1524,  and  died  there  in  1579.  His  career  commenced 
brilliantly,  but  was  blighted  by  his  fruitless  love  for 
Catharina  de  Atayde,  a  lady  of  the  court ;  for  which  love 
he  was  banished  by  royal  edict  to  Santarem.  The  lady 
died  of  a  broken  heart,  and  Camoens  never  married. 

It  was  during  his  banishment  that  he  wrote  "The 
Lusiad."  He  was  recalled  in  1561,  but  on  the  way  back 
lost  all  his  property  except  the  poem.  After  many 
wanderings  and  other  misfortunes,  he  reached  Lisbon 
in  1569,  and  dedicated  "The  Lusiad"  to  King  Sebas- 
tian, who  bestowed  upon  him  a  small  pension. 

This  pension  was  taken  away  after  the  king's  death  ; 
and  Camoens  was  reduced  to  such  poverty,  that  a  faith- 
ful Indian  servant  begged  in  the  streets  of  Lisbon  for 
the  support  of  the  great  epic  poet  of  Portugal.  He 
died  in  the  hospital  at  Lisbon  in  1579;  and  sixteen 
years  afterwards,  when  it  was  proposed  to  erect  a  splen- 
did monument  to  his  memory,  there  was  some  difficulty 
in  finding  even  his  burial-place. 


i3o 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


"  The  Lusiad  "  has  been  translated  into  the  Spanish, 
French,  Italian,  Polish,  German,  Hebrew,  Greek,  Latin, 
Dutch,  Swedish,  Russian,  Danish  languages,  and  six 
times  into  English. 


107.    THE  KREMLIN. 

The  Kremlin  (from  the  Russian  word  kretna,  for- 
tress) is  situated  near  the  centre  of  the  city  of  Moscow. 
It  is  triangular  in  form,  and  about  two  miles  in  perim- 
eter. 

The  Kremlin  contains  palaces,  cathedrals,  monu- 
ments, etc. ;  and  it  is  enclosed  by  a  high  wall,  having 
eighteen  strong  towers  and  five  gates. 

The  principal  gate  of  the  Kremlin  is  called  the  "  Re- 
deemer's Gate : "  it  has  a  picture  of  the  Saviour  over 
it,  and  even  the  emperor  must  take  off  his  hat  when  he 
passes  through  the  gate. 

Among  the  buildings  of  the  Kremlin  are  the  great 
Imperial  Palace ;  the  Cathedral  of  the  Assumption 
(founded  in  1326),  in  which  the  Russian  emperors  have 
been  crowned  for  three  hundred  years ;  the  Cathedral 
of  the  Archangel  Michael  (in  which  the  Russian  emper- 
ors were  buried,  down  to  the  time  of  Peter  the  Great) ; 
and  the  Cathedral  of  the  Annunciation,  in  which  many 
of  them  were  baptized  and  married ;  the  floor  of  this 
cathedral  is  paved  with  jasper,  agate,  and  cornelian. 

The  Ivan  Veliki,  or  Great  Tower,  contains  thirty-four 
bells  ;  and  near  it  (unmounted)  is  the  Tzar  Kolokol,  or 
Great  Bell,  the  largest  in  the  world. 

The  principal  streets  in  Moscow  lead  from  the  Krem- 
lin like  the  spokes  of  a  wheel ;  and  around  them  run 
handsome  boulevards  forming  circles,  one  a  mile,  the 
other  a  mile  and  a  half,  from  the  Kremlin. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Inside  the  inner  boulevard  is  the  Kitan  Gorod,  or 
Chinese  Quarter,  containing  12 1  acres. 

The  city  of  Moscow  is  said  to  have  been  founded 
about  A.D.  1 1 50  :  from  the  fourteenth  to  the  eighteenth 
century  it  was  the  capital,  and  it  is  still  the  richest  city, 
of  Russia. 


108.  PASCAL. 

It  was  Pascal  who  said,  "  Whoever  would  fully 
measure  the  vanity  of  human  life  must  consider  the 
causes  and  the  effects  of  the  passion  of  love.  If  the 
nose  of  Cleopatra  had  been  shorter,  the  whole  face  of 
the  earth  would  have  been  different." 

Blaise  Pascal  was  one  of  the  most  distinguished  phi- 
losophers and  scholars  of  the  seventeenth  century.  He 
was  born  in  Auvergne,  France,  in  1623  ;  died  in  Paris, 
1662.    He  was  a  noted  "Port-Royalist." 

These  were  a  body  of  learned  men,  theologians,  con- 
nected with  the  convent  of  Post-Royal  des  Champs, 
near  Versailles,  who  played  an  important  part  in  the 
Jansenist  controversy. 

This  long  controversy  in  the  Roman-Catholic  Church 
was  chiefly  respecting  the  doctrine  of  "free  grace." 
Jansen  of  Louvain  (about  1630)  propagated  views  on 
the  subject  contrary  to  those  held  by  the  Jesuits  :  hence 
the  controversy  is  known  by  his  name,  which  caused 
much  excitement  in  France  and  other  Continental  coun- 
tries. The  Post-Royalists  were  suppressed  in  1709,  in 
the  reign  of  Louis  XIV.,  this  measure  being  instigated 
by  Madame  de  Maintenon. 

Pascal's  chief  works,  "  Pensees  "  and  "  Lettres  Provin- 
ciales,"  are  among  the  finest  specimens  of  French  lit- 
erature. 


132 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


109.  CLEOPATRA. 

Cleopatra  was  the  last  queen  of  Egypt.  Her  father, 
King  Ptolemy  Auletes,  died  when  she  was  seventeen 
years  old,  leaving  the  throne  to  his  son  Ptolemy  Diony- 
sus (then  thirteen  years  old),  provided  he  would  marry 
his  half-sister  Cleopatra.  The  Romans  were  appointed 
guardians  of  these  children. 

Cleopatra  married  her  brother,  and  they  reigned 
jointly  until  she  became  dissatisfied  with  his  attempt 
to  obtain  sole  power. 

She  resolved  to  seek  assistance  from  Julius  Caesar  ; 
but  not  daring  to  go  openly  to  him,  as  she  was  watched 
by  her  brother's  friends,  she  caused  a  servant  to  carry 
her  on  his  back  in  a  roll  of  carpeting  into  the  room  of 
Julius  Caesar. 

When  the  carpet  was  unrolled,  the  beautiful  girl 
sprang  out,  and,  throwing  herself  at  the  feet  of  the 
Roman  general,  begged  him  with  tears  to  take  her 
part.  He  promised  to  do  so,  and  attempted  to  effect 
a  compromise. 

For  a  short  time  Cleopatra  and  her  brother  were  rec- 
onciled ;  but  Ptolemy,  renewing  the  contest,  was  soon 
defeated,  and  drowned  in  the  river  Nile. 

Cleopatra  then  married  her  young  brother,  a  boy  of 
eleven  years,  who  was  already  affianced  to  his  sister 
Arsinoe. 

Cleopatra  soon  poisoned  him,  and  assumed  the  sole 
government  43  B.C.  With  her  death  (30  B.C.)  ended 
the  dynasty  of  Ptolemy  in  Egypt,  which  had  lasted  for 
two  hundred  and  ninety-four  years  ;  and  Egypt  became 
a  Roman  province. 

There  were  three  queens  of  Egypt  under  the  Ptole- 
mies,—  Arsinoe,  Berenice,  and   Cleopatra.    Most  of 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


133 


them  were  the  sisters  as  well  as  the  wives  of  the  kings. 
There  were  thirteen  kings  of  Egypt  by  the  name  of 
Ptolemy,  during  whose  reigns  Egypt  attained  a  high 
degree  of  prosperity.  Each  of  these  kings  had  another 
name ;  but  they  were  called  Ptolemy,  from  Ptolemy 
Lagus,  the  first  of  the  name.    (Ptolemy  means  warrior.) 

Cleopatra's  history  is  so  well  known,  as  also  all  the 
circumstances  of  her  tragic  death,  that  we  need  only 
sum  it  up  by  quoting  from  Tennyson's  "  Dream  of 
Fair  Women." 


"  I  turning  saw,  throned  on  a  flowery  rise, 
One  sitting  on  a  crimsoned  scarf  unrolled; 
A  queen,  with  swarthy  cheeks  and  bold  black  eyes, 
Brow-bound  with  burning  gold. 

She,  flashing  forth  a  haughty  smile,  began : 
'  I  governed  men  by  change,  and  so  I  swayed 

All  moods.    Tis  long  since  I  have  seen  a  man. 
Once,  like  the  moon,  I  made 

The  ever-shifting  currents  of  the  blood 
According  to  my  humor  ebb  and  flow. 

I  have  no  men  to  govern  in  this  wood : 
That  makes  my  only  woe. 

Nay  —  yet  it  chafes  me  that  I  could  not  bend 
One  will ;  nor  tame  nor  tutor  with  mine  eye 

That  dull,  cold-blooded  Caesar.    Prythee,  friend, 
Where  is  Mark  Antony? 

The  man,  my  lover,  with  whom  I  rode  sublime 
On  Fortune's  neck:  we  sat  as  God  by  God: 

The  Nilus  would  have  risen  before  his  time 
And  flooded  at  our  nod. 

We  drank  the  Libyan  Sun  to  sleep,  and  lit 
Lamps  which  outburned  Canopus.   O  my  life 

In  Egypt!    O  the  dalliance  and  the  wit, 
The  flattery  and  the  strife, 


134 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


And  the  wild  kiss,  when  fresh  from  war's  alarms, 

My  Hercules,  my  Roman  Antony, 
My  mailed  Bacchus  leapt  into  my  arms, 

Contented  there  to  die ! 

And  there  he  died :  and  when  I  heard  my  name 
Sighed  forth  with  life  I  would  not  brook  my  fear 

Of  the  other ;  with  a  worm  I  balked  his  fame. 
What  else  was  left  ? 

I  died  a  Queen.    The  Roman  soldier  found 
Me  lying  dead,  my  crown  about  my  brows, 

A  name  forever !  —  lying  robed  and  crowned, 
Worthy  a  Roman  spouse.'  " 


no.    THE  EDICT  OF  NANTES. 

In  the  year  1598  King  Henry  IV.  of  France  issued, 
at  Nantes,  an  edict  which  secured  to  the  Huguenots 
freedom  of  conscience,  and  equal  rights  and  privileges 
with  the  Roman  Catholics. 

In  1685  Louis  XIV.  revoked  the  Edict  of  Nantes. 

The  Huguenots'  churches  were  destroyed ;  and  orders 
were  given  to  take  Protestant  children  from  their 
parents,  that  they  might  be  instructed  in  the  Roman- 
Catholic  faith. 

There  was  no  longer  any  safety  for  the  Huguenots 
in  France :  nothing  was  left  but  to  flee  from  their  native 
land.  Every  precaution  was  taken  by  the  government 
to  prevent  their  emigration ;  but,  notwithstanding  this, 
almost  half  a  million  Huguenots  succeeded  in  reaching 
Protestant  countries,  carrying  with  them,  not  only  their 
wealth,  but  also  their  skill  in  manufacture.  The  fugi- 
tives were  welcomed  in  England,  Holland,  and  Ger- 
many, which  countries  were  much  benefited  by  their 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


1 35 


industries ;  while  to  the  prosperity  of  France  their  de- 
parture was  such  a  severe  blow  that  she  has  never 

recovered  from  it. 


in.    "THE  CURTAIN  IS  THE  PICTURE." 

About  the  year  455  B.C.,  an  improved  style  of  paint- 
ing was  introduced  in  Athens  by  a  celebrated  painter 
named  Zeuxis.  The  aim  of  this  new  style  was  illusion 
of  the  senses.  Zeuxis  soon  acquired  great  wealth  by 
his  paintings,  and  was  very  ostentatious  in  the  display 
of  it.  The  same  vanity  is  shown  by  the  fact,  that,  after 
he  had  reached  the  summit  of  his  fame,  he  no  longer 
sold,  but  gave  away,  his  pictures,  as  being  above  all 
price. 

He  was  a  great  master  of  color :  and  in  this  lay  the 
secret  of  his  success,  and  of  that  of  his  school ;  for  it 
rendered  his  paintings  so  accurate  and  lifelike,  that  they 
amounted  to  illusion.  This  is  exemplified  in  the  story 
told  of  him  and  Parrhasius.  As  a  trial,  these  artists 
were  appointed  to  paint  each  a  picture.  That  of  Zeuxis 
represented  a  bunch  of  grapes  ;  and  so  naturally  was  it 
represented,  that  the  birds  came  and  pecked  at  it. 

After  this  proof,  Zeuxis,  confident  of  success,  called 
upon  his  rival  to  draw  aside  the  curtain  that  concealed 
his  picture.  "The  curtain  is  the  picture,"  replied  Parr- 
hasius ;  and  Zeuxis  was  obliged  to  acknowledge  himself 
vanquished,  for  though  he  had  deceived  birds,  Parr- 
hasius had  deceived  him. 

The  paintings  of  Zeuxis  displayed  great  dramatic 
power.  He  worked  very  slowly  and  carefully ;  and  he 
is  said  to  have  replied  to  somebody  who  blamed  him  for 
his  slowness,  "  It  is  true  I  take  a  long  time  to  paint ; 
but  then,  I  paint  works  to  last  a  long  time." 


136 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


His  masterpiece  was  a  picture  of  Helen  of  Troy,  in 
painting  which  he  had  as  his  models  five  of  the  most 
beautiful  maidens  of  Crotona,  for  which  city  the  picture 
was  painted.  Zeuxis  died  in  the  early  part  of  the  third 
century  B.C. :  it  is  said  that  he  died  from  laughter  at 
a  hag  he  had  just  painted. 

Parrhasius,  his  contemporary,  also  attained  great  ce- 
lebrity. He  was  particularly  celebrated  for  the  accuracy 
of  his  drawing  and  the  excellent  proportions  of  his 
figures. 

Just  as  Phidias  established  a  canon  in  sculpture  for 
gods,  and  Polycletus  for  the  human  figure,  so  Zeuxis 
established  a  canon  for  proportions  in  drawing  and 
painting ;  whence  Quintilian  calls  him  the  legislator  of 
his  art. 


112.    "NO  ROYAL  ROAD  TO  LEARNING." 

The  famous  mathematician  Euclid,  upon  being  asked 
by  Ptolemy  Soter  (who  was  his  pupil,  and  afterward 
king  of  Egypt)  if  geometry  could  not  be  made  easier, 
replied,  "  There  is  no  royal  road  to  learning." 

Euclid,  sometimes  called  the  father  of  mathematics, 
was  born  at  Alexandria  about  300  B.C. 

We  know  little  more  of  his  history  than  that  he  be- 
longed to  the  Platonic  school  of  philosophy,  and  taught 
mathematics  in  the  famous  school  of  Alexandria  during 
the  reign  of  Ptolemy  Soter. 


113.    THE  FIRST  ACCOUNT  OF  CHINA. 

Marco  Polo,  the  celebrated  traveller,  born  at  Venice 
about  1254,  gave  to  the  world  the  first  correct  account 
of  China.    In  1271  he  started  on  a  tour  through  Asia, 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


137 


finally  reaching  China  in  1275,  which  was  then  known 
in  Europe  as  Cathay,  supposed  to  comprise  the  entire 
"  Far  East  "  of  the  world. 

The  Emperor  of  China  received  him,  and  soon  gave 
him  important  offices  in  the  government,  making  him 
governor  of  a  large  city,  which  position  he  held  for 
three  years. 

The  emperor,  however,  would  not  allow  him  to  leave 
the  empire,  as  it  was  closed  to  all  foreigners ;  and  for 
sixteen  years  he  was  an  honored  prisoner  of  the  em- 
peror. He  finally  managed  to  escape  on  board  a  ship 
which  was  carrying  the  emperor's  daughter  to  Persia, 
where  she  was  to  become  the  king's  wife.  After  nine 
months  Polo  went  from  Persia  to  the  Black  Sea,  and 
finally  returned  to  Venice  in  1295. 

He  had  almost  forgotten  his  native  language ;  and 
his  friends  would  not  believe  his  story,  even  when  he 
showed  the  rich  presents  he  had  received  from  the 
Emperor  of  China.  He  entered  the  navy,  and  was  taken 
prisoner  in  a  war  with  Genoa  :  during  five  years'  impris- 
onment he  prepared  an  account  of  his  travels,  and  gave 
to  the  world  the  first  correct  description  of  China.  His 
book  was  published,  and  created  an  immense  excitement 
among  learned  men,  who  did  not  hesitate  to  affirm  it  to 
be  pure  fiction. 

After  his  liberation  he  returned  to  Venice,  was  ab- 
jured by  his  friends,  and  even  on  his  death-bed  was 
urged  to  retract  his  falsehoods. 

He  died  in  1323,  aged  seventy  years. 

Subsequent  Venetian  travellers  and  Roman-Catholic 
missionaries  verified  many  of  Polo's  statements  :  then 
came  a  re-action  of  public  opinion,  and  the  wonderful 
accuracy  of  Polo's  history  became  the  theme  of  univer- 
sal praise.    His  work  became  of  inestimable  value  as  a 


138 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


guide  in  geographical  research :  by  it  the  Portuguese 
were  led  to  sail  round  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and 
Columbus  to  make  his  discoveries  in  the  western 
hemisphere. 

The  book  was  translated  into  all  foreign  languages, 
but  not  into  English  until  1844. 

Marco  Polo  was  long  remembered  in  China;  and  a 
bust  of  him  is  still  to  be  seen  in  one  of  the  temples  of 
Canton,  where  great  men  figure  as  social  idols. 


114.    THE  DRAMA  "SAKUNTALA." 

" Sakuntala,"  or  "The  Fatal  Ring,"  is  a  celebrated 
Hindoo  drama  by  Kalidasa,  the  Hindoo  Shakspeare. 
Kalidasa  was  the  greatest  dramatist,  and  one  of  the 
most  celebrated  poets,  of  India,  and  is  known  to  the 
literary  world  chiefly  through  his  drama  "  Sakuntala." 
It  was  first  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  Western  world 
by  Sir  William  Jones,  who  translated  it  into  English 
in  1789.  It  created  so  great  a  sensation  throughout 
Europe,  that  it  may  be  considered  the  cause  of  the 
early  success  attending  Sanscrit  studies  in  England 
and  Germany. 

Very  little  is  known  of  the  personal  history  of  Kali- 
dasa; that  he  lived  at  Onjein,  and  that  he  was  "one  of 
the  nine  gems  of  the  court  of  Vikramaditya,"  is  all 
that  is  related  in  regard  to  him  ;  but  as  there  were  sev- 
eral Vikramadityas,  his  date  is  very  uncertain,  and  may 
be  placed  anywhere  between  the  first  century  B.C.,  and 
the  sixth  century  A.D. 

Many  of  the  dramas  of  Kalidasa  contain  episodes 
selected  from  the  epic  poems  of  India, — the  "  Rama- 
yana  "  and  the  "  Mahabharata,"  —  and  are  founded  on 
the  principles  of  Brahmanism. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


139 


The  "  Sakuntala,"  or  "  Fatal  Ring,"  is  considered 
Kalidasa's  best  drama ;  and  it  has  been  translated  into 
English  and  French  and  German. 

According  to  the  story,  Sakuntala  was  the  daughter 
of  St.  Viswamita,  and  Menaka  a  water-nymph.  Aban- 
doned by  her  parents,  she  was  brought  up  by  a  hermit. 
King  Dushyanta,  coming  one  day  to  the  hermitage,  per- 
suaded Sakuntala  to  marry  him  ;  and  in  due  time  a  son 
was  born.  When  the  boy  was  six  years  old,  she  took 
him  to  the  king,  who  recognized  his  wife  by  a  ring  he 
had  given  to  her. 

The  king  then  publicly  proclaimed  Sakuntala  his 
queen.  Bharata,  his  son  and  heir,  became  the  founder 
of  the  glorious  race  of  the  Bharatas.  Schubert  has 
written  an  opera  called  "  Sanktala." 


115.    NAPOLEON'S  BEES. 

Napoleon  I.,  wishing  to  have  some  regal  emblem 
more  ancient  than  the  fletir-de-lis \  is  said  to  have 
adopted  the  bee  under  the  following  circumstances  :  — 

When  the  tomb  of  Childeric  (the  father  of  Clovis) 
was  opened  in  1653,  there  were  found  (besides  the  skele- 
tons of  his  horse  and  his  page,  his  arms,  etc.)  more 
than  three  hundred  of  what  the  French  heralds  mistook 
for  bees,  "of  the  purest  gold,  their  wings  being  inlaid 
with  a  red  stone  like  cornelian." 

These  small  ornaments  resembling  bees  were  only 
what,  in  French,  are  called  flenrons,  supposed  to  have 
been  attached  to  the  harness  of  the  war-horse. 

The  "bees"  were  sent  to  Louis  XIV.,  but  it  was 
Napoleon  who  had  them  sprinkled  over  the  imperial 
robes  as  emblematic  of  the  enterprise  and  activity  of 


140 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


the  Napoleonic  dynasty.  The  modern  opinion  is,  that 
the  French  fleur-de-lis  is  really  a  bee  with  its  wings 
outstretched,  which  would  make  the  royal  and  the  im- 
perial emblems  identical,  but  differently  interpreted. 


116.    THE  TRIAL  OF  RATS. 

Chassanee  won  his  first  laurels  in  a  trial  of  rats  in 
the  diocese  of  Autun,  1445. 

Trials  of  wild  animals  of  obnoxious  description,  as 
rats,  locusts,  caterpillars,  and  such  like,  were  conducted 
in  ecclesiastical  courts  between  the  years  n  20  and 
1740.  In  the  last-named  year  the  trial  and  execution 
of  a  cow  took  place.  The  proceedings  were  compli- 
cated, and,  not  having  the  sanction  of  Mosaic  law,  were 
founded  on  the  following  thesis  :  — 

"  As  God  cursed  the  serpent,  and  our  Saviour  the  barren  fig-tree, 
60  in  like  manner  the  Church  hath  full  power  and  authority  to  ex- 
orcise and  anathematize  and  excommunicate  all  animate  and  in- 
animate things.  But  as  the  lower  animals,  being  created  before 
man,  were  the  first  heirs  of  the  earth ;  as  God  blessed  them,  and 
gave  them  every  green  herb  for  meat;  as  they  were  provided  for  in 
the  ark,  and  entitled  to  the  privileges  of  the  Sabbath,  —  they  must 
be  treated  with  all  due  deference  consistent  with  justice." 

The  process  was  as  follows :  the  inhabitants  of  a 
district  being  annoyed  by  certain  animals,  the  court  ap- 
pointed experts  to  survey  and  report  upon  the  damage 
done  :  an  advocate  was  then  appointed  to  defend  the 
animals,  and  to  show  cause  why  they  should  not  be 
summoned. 

They  were  then  cited  three  times ;  and,  not  appearing, 
judgment  was  given  against  them  by  default.  The 
court  next  issued  a  "  Monitoire,"  warning  the  animals 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


141 


to  leave  the  district  within  a  certain  time  under  penalty 
of  adjuration.  If  they  did  not  disappear  on  or  before 
the  time  appointed,  the  exorcism  was  pronounced  with 
all  due  solemnity. 

During  the  whole  period,  religious  processions  and 
other  elaborate  ceremonies,  that  had  to  be  well  paid  for, 
were  strictly  enjoined.  The  summonses  were  served 
by  an  officer  of  the  court,  reading  them  in  places  which 
the  animals  frequented. 

These  citations  were  written  out  with  all  due  for- 
mality :  thus,  in  a  trial  against  rats,  the  defendants  were 
described  as  "  dirty  animals  in  form  of  rats,  of  a  gray- 
ish color,  living  in  holes." 

This  trial  is  famous  in  the  annals  of  French  law  ;  for 
in  it  Chassanee,  the  celebrated  Juris-Consult,  the  Coke 
of  France,  won  his  first  laurels. 

The  rats  not  appearing  on  the  first  summons,  Chas- 
sanee, their  counsel,  argued  that  the  summons  was  of 
too  local  and  individual  a  character ;  that,  as  all  the  rats 
in  the  diocese  were  interested,  all  the  rats  from  all 
parts  of  the  diocese  should  be  summoned. 

This  plea  being  admitted,  the  curate  of  every  parish 
in  the  diocese  was  instructed  to  summon  every  rat  for 
a  future  day. 

The  day  arriving,  but  no  rats,  Chassanee  said,  that 
as  all  his  clients  were  summoned,  including  young  and 
old,  sick  and  healthy,  great  preparations  had  to  be 
made,  and  therefore  he  begged  for  extension  of  time. 
This  being  granted,  another  day  was  appointed. 

The  rats  still  failing  to  appear,  Chassanee  denied  the 
legality  of  the  summons  under  certain  circumstances. 

A  summons  from  that  court,  he  argued,  implied  full 
protection  to  the  parties  summoned,  both  on  their  way 
to  it,  and  on  their  return  home  ;  but  his  clients,  the  rats, 


142 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


though  most  anxious  to  appear,  in  obedience  to  the 
court,  did  not  dare  to  stir  out  of  their  holes,  on  account 
of  the  number  of  evilly  disposed  cats  kept  by  the  plain- 
tiffs. 

"Let  the  latter,"  he  continued,  "enter  into  bonds 
under  heavy  pecuniary  penalties,  that  their  cats  shall 
not  molest  my  clients,  and  the  summons  will  be  at  once 
obeyed." 

The  plaintiffs  declining  to  be  bound  over  for  the 
good  behavior  of  their  cats,  the  time  for  the  attendance 
of  the  rats  in  court  was  postponed  indefinitely. 

Thus  Chassanee,  winning  his  first  case,  laid  the 
foundation  of  his  future  fame. 

Legal  proceedings  against  animals  were  not  confined 
to  France  alone ;  in  Germany,  Spain,  Switzerland,  and 
Italy,  the  lower  animals  were  subject  to  the  law;  and 
cases  are  recorded  in  which  they  were  condemned, 
and  burned  at  the  stake,  with  all  the  solemnity  belong- 
ing to  a  judicial  punishment  in  the  case  of  men. 


117.    THE  KING  OF  THE  FRENCH. 

Louis  Philippe,  "King  of  the  French,"  succeeded 
Charles  X.  in  1830.  • 

On  account  of  his  republican  principles,  he  was  ex- 
empted from  the  decree  by  which  the  French  Revolu- 
tionists banished  the  Bourbon  family  in  1792. 

At  a  later  period  he  had  to  flee  from  France,  and  he 
spent  twenty  years  in  exile  and  poverty  in  different 
parts  of  Europe  and  America. 

When  Bonaparte  fell,  Louis  Philippe  returned  to  Paris, 
and  was  welcomed  by  many  friends.  After  the  Revolu- 
tion of  July,  1830,  Louis  Philippe  was  recalled  to  the 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


H3 


throne,  not  as  "  King  of  France,"  but  as  "  King  of  the 
French  : "  this  change  in  the  title  was  made  to  show- 
that  he  reigned,  not  by  his  own  right,  but  by  the  will 
of  the  people. 

The  "  Citizen  King,"  as  he  was  called,  soon  lost  his 
popularity :  the  people  missed  the  splendor  to  which 
they  had  been  accustomed  around  the  throne,  and  the 
consequence  was  another  revolution  in  1848.  The  king 
fled  again  to  England,  and  died  there  at  Clermont,  near 
London,  in  1850,  aged  seventy-seven.  France  was  im- 
mediately declared  a  republic,  and  has  never  since  had 
a  king.  Louis  Napoleon,  however,  was  Emperor  of 
France  from  1852  to  1870. 


118.    "THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  BOOKS." 

Sir  William  Temple  wrote  an  article  on  "Ancient 
and  Modern  Authors;"  and  a  discussion  on  this  subject 
followed  among  the  literati,  after  which  Dean  Swift 
wrote  a  satire  called  "The  Battle  of  the  Books." 

In  this  battle  the  books  of  ancient  authors  fight 
against  the  books  of  modern  authors,  and  the  skirmish 
takes  place  in  St.  James  Library. 

The  author  does  not  relate  the  result  of  the  battle, 
but  it  is  very  evident  his  sympathies  are  with  the 
ancients. 


119.    TINTORETTO'S  FAMOUS  PICTURES. 

"The  Last  Judgment,"  "The  Worship  of  the  Golden 
Calf,"  "The  Presentation  of  the  Virgin,"  and  "The  Mar- 
tyrdom of  St.  Agnes,"  are  considered  Tintoretto's  mas- 
terpieces. 

Of  the  first  two,  Ruskin  says  that  no  pictures  will 
better  reward  a  resolute  study;  of  "The  Last  Judg- 
ment" he  gives  a  powerful  description  in  his  "Modern 


144 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Painters  : "  "  Bat-like,  out  of  the  holes  and  caverns  and 
shadows  of  the  earth,  the  bones  gather,  and  the  clay- 
heaps  heave,  rattling  and  adhering  into  half-kneaded 
anatomies,  that  crawl,  and  startle,  and  struggle  up 
among  the  putrid  weeds,  with  the  clay  clinging  to  their 
clotted  hair,  and  their  heavy  eyes  sealed  by  the  earth- 
darkness  yet,  like  his  of  old  who  went  his  way  unseeing 
to  the  Siloam  Pool ;  shaking  off  one  by  one  the  dreams 
of  the  prison-house,  hardly  hearing  the  clangor  of  the 
trumpets  of  the  armies  of  God,  blinded  yet  more,  as 
they  awake,  by  the  white  light  of  the  new  Heavon,  until 
the  great  vortex  of  the  four  winds  bears  up  their  bodies 
to  the  judgment-seat." 

The  palaces  of  Venice  are  full  of  Tintoretto's  brilliant 
works,  and  there  is  something  of  his  in  almost  every 
collection  in  Europe.  Tintoretto's  great  picture  of 
"  Paradise,"  which  covers  the  end  of  the  library  in  the 
ducal  palace  in  Venice,  is  the  largest  oil-painting  in  the 
world. 

This  famous  Italian  artist,  Tintoretto,  was  born  in 
Venice  in  15 12.  His  real  name  was  Giacomo  Robusti ; 
but,  his  father  being  by  trade  a  dyer  (Italian,  tintore),  he 
was  commonly  called  Tintoretto. 

Titian,  who  was  his  first  master,  is  said  to  have  sent 
him  home  in  less  than  two  weeks  because  he  painted 
so  well  that  master  became  jealous  of  pupil. 

Tintoretto  was  the  only  one  of  Titian's  many  pupils 
and  imitators  who  approached  an  equality  with  his  mas- 
ter, and  who,  in  fact,  became  in  his  turn  the  founder  of 
a  new  school.  He  was  distinguished  by  his  freedom 
of  drawing,  grandeur  of  design,  and  beauty  of  color. 

Tintoretto  died  in  Venice  in  1594  when  eighty-two 
years  old. 


CURIO  US  Q  UES  TIONS. 


MS 


120.   MANUFACTURED  STONES. 

Manufactured  stones  were  used  in  building  the  Ship 
Canal  at  Port  Said  in  the  Mediterranean  Sea. 

The  composition  consisted  of  two  parts  of  sand,  and 
one  of  hydraulic  lime  :  this  was  ground  into  paste,  and 
poured  into  wooden  moulds. 

After  the  mixture  solidified,  the  boards  were  removed, 
and  the  stone  left  in  the  sun  from  three  to  six  months 
to  dry.    Each  stone  weighed  twenty  tons. 

The  Suez  Canal  is  eighty-five  miles  long,  seventy-two 
feet  wide  at  the  bottom,  and  three  hundred  and  twenty- 
seven  feet  wide  at  the  surface,  and  twenty-six  feet  deep 
throughout,  and  connects  Europe  and  Asia. 

It  was  opened  Nov.  16,  1869,  by  a  procession  of 
English  and  foreign  steamers,  in  the  presence  of  the 
Khedive,  the  Emperor  of  France,  the  Emperor  of  Aus- 
tria, the  Crown  Prince  of  Prussia,  and  others. 

It  cost  ;£  1 1,672,000,  and  the  chief  advantage  gained 
is  the  shortening  of  the  route  from  Europe  to  India. 


121.    BURIAL  OF  ALARIC  THE  GOTH  AND  ATTILA 
THE  HUN. 

Alaric,  king  of  the  Visigoths,  and  a  famous  con-  » 
queror,  was  born  about  A.D.  376. 

He  was  buried  by  his  soldiers  in  the  bed  of  the  river 
Busento  in  Southern  Italy  :  they  first  turned  the  water 
into  another  channel ;  and,  after  burying  their  chief  and 
his  treasures  in  the  middle  of  the  river-bed,  they  let 
the  water  flow  back  again.  The  digging  was  done  by 
prisoners ;  and  after  the  burial  they  were  all  put  to 
death,  so  that  the  Romans  might  never  find  his  grave. 

Attila,  king  of  the  Huns,  the  greatest  barbarian  con- 


146  CURIOUS  QUESTIONS 


queror  of  the  fifth  century,  was  buried  A.D.  453  in  a 
wide  plain ;  his  body  being  enclosed  in  three  coffins, 
the  first  of  gold,  the  second  of  silver,  and  the  third  of 
iron. 

With  his  body  was  interred  much  treasure;  and,  that 
his  grave  might  be  forever  unknown,  all  the  prisoners 
who  had  been  sent  to  bury  him,  were,  on  their  return, 
immediately  put  to  death. 

Another  secret  burial,  in  later  history,  was  that  of 
Fernando  de  Soto,  the  discoverer  of  the  Mississippi, 
whose  coffin  was  sunk  at  midnight  in  the  middle  of  the 
stream,  to  conceal  his  death  from  the  natives,  who  had 
been  told  that  he  was  immortal,  and  "a  child  of  the 
sun." 


122.    THE  GREATEST  NAME  IN  GERMAN  LITERATURE. 

Johann  Wolfgang  von  Goethe,  the  acknowledged 
prince  of  German  literature,  was  born  at  Frankfort-on- 
the-Main,  Aug.  28,  1749,  and  died  in  Weimar  on  the 
22d  of  March,  1832. 

His  works  embrace  almost  every  department  of  litera- 
ture, and  many  of  the  sciences.  For  half  a  century  he 
stood  at  the  head  of  the  literature  of  Germany. 

His  greatest  work  is  "Faust;"  but  it  can  never  be- 
come popular,  as  its  wisdom  does  not  lie  on  the  surface. 
When  he  had  finished  it  he  said  the  work  of  his  life 
was  done.  "  Hermann  and  Dorothea  "  is  as  immortal 
as  the  "Vicar  of  Wakefield." 

Among  his  juvenile  productions,  "The  Sorrows  of 
Werther  "  rendered  him  famous.  It  was  his  first  great 
novel ;  and  it  became  so  popular,  that  it  was  soon  trans- 
lated into  every  language,  even  the  Chinese ;  young 
women  cried  over  it,  and  young  men  shot  themselves 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


147 


with  a  copy  of  "Werther"  in  their  hands.  It  is  said 
that  the  "Werther  fever"  ran  so  high,  that  in  some 
countries  booksellers  were  forbidden  by  law  to  sell  it. 
A  German  writer,  Knebel,  says  of  Goethe,  "  He  rose 
like  a  star  in  the  heavens  :  everybody  worshipped  him, 
and  especially  the  women."  His  last  words  were,  "Open 
the  shutters,  and  let  in  more  light." 


123.   THE  BURGH  MOUSA. 

In  the  Isle  Mousa,  one  of  the  Shetland  Islands,  there 
is  a  remarkable  object  of  antiquity  styled  the  Burgh 
Mousay  belonging  to  a  class  known  in  the  north  of 
Scotland  as  the  Pictish  Towers. 

The  Burgh  Mousa  occupies  a  knoll  close  upon  the 
rocky  sea-beach,  from  which  the  materials  for  its  con- 
struction have  evidently  been  taken.  The  tower  is 
round,  inclining  inwards  until  about  half  way  up,  then 
inclining  outwards  to  the  top.  It  is  a  hundred  and  fifty- 
eight  feet  in  circumference  at  the  foundation,  and  forty 
feet  in  height. 

One  doorway  facing  the  sea  is  the  only  aperture. 
The  wall  is  sixteen  feet  thick,  and  the  top  open  to 
the  sky.  There  is  a  stairway  within,  winding  up  to  the 
summit  of  the  building. 

According  to  tradition,  the  Tower  of  Mousa  was  oc- 
cupied by  Erland,  a  Norwegian  jarl,  about  11 54,  when 
it  successfully  endured  a  siege  undertaken  to  recover 
from  within  a  runaway  lady. 

The  Picts  were  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  the  north- 
eastern provinces  of  Scotland.  The  Pictish  nation  con- 
sisted of  two  great  divisions,  called  the  Northern  and 
the  Southern  Picts,  the  boundary  between  them  being 


148 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


the  mountain  range  known  as  the  Grampians.  The 
Picts  were  converted  to  Christianity  at  different  periods. 
The  Southern  Picts  received  the  faith  from  St.  Ninian 
early  in  the  fifth  century.  The  Northern  Picts  owed 
their  conversion  to  St.  Columba.  The  life  of  that  abbot, 
from  his  leaving  Ireland  in  563  to  his  death  in  597,  was 
chiefly  spent  in  converting  the  Northern  Picts. 

It  is  impossible  to  ascertain  the  precise  character  of 
the  superstitions  held  by  the  Picts  before  their  conver- 
sion, but  their  religion  is  said  to  have  been  a  species  of 
Druidism.  The  first  Christian  king  of  the  Picts  died 
in  586 :  the  kingdom  began  to  decline  in  760,  and  its 
later  history  is  involved  in  impenetrable  obscurity ;  all 
that  we  know  for  certain  is  the  final  result. 

Henry  of  Huntingdon  refers  to  the  utter  destruction 
of  the  Picts,  of  their  princes,  their  race,  and  their  lan- 
guage, in  a  work  published  in  the  year  1864,  though 
written  some  time  previous. 

"  The  Pictish  vessel  is  seen  in  the  distant  horizon  ;  she  ap 
proaches  rapidly,  till  you  clearly  distinguish  the  crew  upon  the 
deck ;  but,  before  you  are  near  enough  to  hear  their  voices,  she 
sinks,  the  waters  close  over  her,  and-the  wreck  can  never  be  raised. 

"  The  total  extinction  of  the  Pictish  language  renders  any  fur- 
ther inquiry  impossible." 


124.    THE  TUB  OF  DIOGENES. 

Diogenes,  a  famous  Greek  philosopher,  was  born  in 
Asia  Minor,  412  B.C. 

When  he  first  visited  Athens,  he  went  to  Antisthe- 
nes,  the  founder  of  a  society  of  philosophers  called 
"Cynics"  (from  a  Greek  word  meaning  "like  a  dog"), 
because  they  were  a  rude,  snarling  sect,  who  despised 
riches,  the  arts,  and  all  the  aestheticism  of  life. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


I49 


Antisthenes  tried  to  drive  him  away,  and  even  threat- 
ened to  beat  him.  "Strike  me,"  said  Diogenes,  "but 
you  will  never  get  so  hard  a  stick  as  to  keep  me  from 
you  while  you  speak  what  I  think  worth  hearing." 

Diogenes  dressed  in  a  coarse  robe,  which  was  his 
cloak  by  day  and  his  cover  by  night,  and  carried  with 
him  a  wooden  bowl  and  a  bag  in  which  to  receive  alms 
and  food. 

One  day  he  saw  a  boy  drinking  water  from  the  hollow 
of  his  hand;  and,  thinking  that  he  could  do  likewise,  he 
threw  his  bowl  away  as  a  useless  luxury.  He  accus- 
tomed himself  to  endure  all  kinds  of  hardships  ;  and, 
in  order  to  be  able  to  bear  both  heat  and  cold,  he  rolled 
himself  in  the  hot  sand  in  summer,  and  in  winter 
embraced  statues  covered  with  snow. 

His  home  was  a  large  tub  discarded  from  the  Temple 
of  Cybele. 

This  tub,  or pithos,  was  a  huge  earthen  jar  that  had 
been  used  for  holding  wine  or  oil,  for  the  sacrifices  of 
the  temple. 

It  was  long  and  large  enough  for  him  to  lie  in  at  full 
length,  and  to  satisfy  his  limited  demands  in  the  way 
of  housekeeping,  though  cracked  and  patched.  This 
whim  of  Diogenes  was  not  without  parallel,  as  it  is  said, 
that,  during  the  Peloponnesian  war,  the  Athenians  lived 
in  similar  vessels  ;  and  even  after  the  time  of  Diogenes 
such  vessels,  when  discarded,  were  used  as  dwellings  by 
the  poor. 

One  day  Alexander  the  Great  saw  Diogenes  sitting 
in  his  tub  in  the  sunshine. 

The  king,  surrounded  by  his  courtiers,  approached 
him,  and  said,  "  I  am  Alexander  the  Great."  The  phi- 
losopher replied  in  a  surly  way,  "  I  am  Diogenes  the 
Cynic."    Alexander  asked  him  if  he  could  do  him  any 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


service.  "Yes,"  said  Diogenes:  "don't  stand  between 
me  and  the  sun." 

Surprised  at  this  reply,  Alexander  said,  "  If  I  were 
not  Alexander,  I  would  be  Diogenes." 

Diogenes  used  often  to  walk  out  in  the  daytime  with 
a  lighted  lantern,  peering  around  as  if  looking  for  some- 
thing; and  when  questioned,  he  would  answer  gravely, 
"  I  am  searching  for  an  honest  man." 

He  was  once  taken  by  pirates,  and  offered  for  sale  as  a 
slave  in  the  market  in  Crete  ;  and,  being  asked  by  some 
one  what  he  could  do,  he  replied,  "  I  can  govern  men ; 
therefore  sell  me  to  some  one  who  needs  a  master." 

He  died  at  Corinth  323  B.C.,  aged  eighty-nine  years. 

It  may  be  that  the  story  of  Diogenes  has  been  some- 
what factitiously  dressed  in  the  later  history ;  but,  even 
if  this  be  so,  the  lessons  it  teaches  are  of  great  value, 
and  have  a  thought  for  us,  too,  in  this  latest  age  of  his- 
tory, when  there  is  so  much  prodigality  and  pride  in 
living,  so  little  of  the  true  philosophy  of  life,  and  so 
much  dishonesty  in  public  service  and  private  business. 


125.    THE  HOHENSTAUFENS. 

The  German  princely  house  of  Hohenstaufen  kept 
possession  of  the  imperial  throne  from  1138  to  1254. 

The  founder  of  the  family  was  Frederick  von  Buren, 
who  lived  in  the  eleventh  century :  he  assumed  the 
name  of  Hohenstaufen  from  a  castle  of  that  name,  the 
ruins  of  which  still  stand. 

His  son,  Lord  Hohenstaufen,  steadfastly  supported 
Henry  IV.,  and  in  return  received  the  Duchy  of  Swabia. 

This  duke  left  two  sons,  —  Frederick  II.,  the  one- 
eyed,  and  Konrad. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Henry  V.  confirmed  the  former  in  his  Duchy  of  Swa- 
bia,  and  in  1112  gave  Konrad  the  Duchy  of  Franconia. 

After  the  death  of  Henry  V.  his  family  estates  fell 
to  the  house  of  Hohenstaufen.  Lothaire  of  Saxony 
was  elected  emperor;  and  he  revoked  the  grants  to  the 
Hohenstaufens,  and  thus  gave  rise  to  a  furious  war :  in 
1 135  the  brothers  were  compelled  to  beg  forgiveness  of 
the  emperor,  and  then  had  their  estates  restored. 

In  1 138  Conrad  was  elected  Emperor  of  Germany, 
and  was  succeeded  by  Frederick  I.,  Henry  VI.,  Philip  I., 
Frederick  II.,  and  Conrad  IV. 


126.    LEGEND  OF  THE  GOLDEN  CAVE. 

Scobellum  was  a  fruitful  land ;  but  the  inhabitants 
exceeded  the  cannibals  in  cruelty,  the  Persians  in  pride, 
the  Egyptians  in  luxury,  the  Cretans  in  lying,  the  Ger- 
mans in  drunkenness,  and  all  the  nations  of  the  earth 
together  in  a  generality  of  vices. 

In  vengeance,  the  gods  turned  all  the  inhabitants 
into  beasts,  to  be  restored  to  human  form  again,  only 
when  the  fire  of  the  Golden  Cave  should  be  quenched. 
The  Golden  Cave  contained  a  cistern  guarded  by  two 
giants  and  two  centaurs  :  the  waters  of  the  cistern  were 
good  for  quenching  the  fire  of  the  cave  ;  and  when  this 
fire  was  quenched,  the  inhabitants  of  Scobellum  should 
return  to  their  original  forms. 


127.    ARUNDELIAN  MARBLES. 

Arundelian,  or  Oxford,  Marbles  is  a  name  given  to  a 
collection  of  inscribed  and  sculptured  marbles  discov- 
ered by  Mr  (afterwards  Sir  William)  Petty  and  John 


152 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Evelyn,  who  were  employed  by  the  Earl  of  Arundel  to 
collect  marbles,  books,  statues,  and  other  curiosities,  in 
Italy,  Greece,  and  Asia  Minor.  Some  of  these  marbles 
have  very  important  inscriptions  on  them,  such  as  the 
"Parian  Chronicle,"  so  called  because  it  is  supposed  to 
have  been  made  in  the  island  of  Paros,  about  263  B.C., 
which  gives  Greek  dates  from  1582  B.C.  down  to  that 
time,  a  series  of  1,318  years.  They  reached  London  in  * 
the  year  1627,  and  were  placed  in  the  gardens  of  the 
Arundel  House.  Thomas  Howard,  Earl  of  Arundel, 
the  founder  of  the  collection,  was  born  in  1586,  and  died 
in  Padua  in  1646.  He  resided  for  many  years  of  his 
early  life  in  Italy,  and  there  acquired  a  strong  taste  for 
works  of  art,  and  began  his  collection,  which  consisted 
not  only  of  the  marbles  in  the  Oxford  Museum  which 
bear  his  name,  but  also  of  coins,  busts,  statues,  and* 
gems. 

During  the  turbulent  reign  of  Charles  I.  the  house 
of  Arundel  was  often  deserted,  and  the  fine  art-collection 
suffered :  some  of  the  marbles  were  defaced,  some 
stolen,  some  broken,  and  some  even  carried  away  for 
architectural  purposes.  After  the  death  of  the  collect- 
or, what  remained  was  divided  among  his  family.  This 
collection  when  entire  consisted  of  37  statues,  128 
busts,  and  250  inscribed  marbles,  besides  altars,  sar- 
cophagi, fragments,  and  gems.  In  1667  Henry  How- 
ard, grandson  of  Thomas  Howard,  presented  what  are 
now  called  the  Arundelian  Marbles  to  the  University 
of  Oxford. 

These  marbles  excited  great  curiosity  in  England 
among  literary  men.  Selden  published  a  small  volume 
including  thirty-nine  inscriptions  with  translations. 
His  researches  were  continued  by  Prideaux  (1676), 
Maittaire  (1732),  and  Chandler  (1763). 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


153 


128.    THE  CLERKS  OF  THE  REVELS. 

The  Clerks  of  the  Revels  were  an  incorporated  so- 
ciety in  Paris,  whose  duty  it  was  to  regulate  the  public 
festivities.  As  the  "  Fraternity  of  the  Passion  "  had 
obtained  a  royal  license  to  represent  the  Mysteries,  they 
were  compelled  to  invent  a  new  set  of  plays,  which 
they  called  the  Moralities.  These  were  taken  from  the 
parables  or  the  historical  parts  of  the  Bible. 

To  the  Clerks  of  the  Revels  we  owe  the  invention  of 
modern  comedy. 

They  mingled  with  the  Moralities  a  number  of  farces, 
the  sole  object  of  which  was  to  excite  laughter,  and  in 
which  the  gayety  and  vivacity  of  the  French  character 
were  well  displayed.  Some  of  these  plays  still  retain 
their  places  upon  the  French  stage. 


129.    WILLIAM     THE     FIRST,     SECOND,     THIRD,  AND 
FOURTH  OF  HIS  NAME  AT  THE  SAME  TIME. 

William  IV.  of  England  was  the  third  son  of  George 
III.,  and  the  brother  to  George  IV.  whom  he  succeeded. 

The  Princess  Charlotte,  only  child  of  George  IV., 
died  in  1817,  leaving  no  child;  so  the  Duke  of  York, 
next  brother  to  the  king,  became  the  heir-presumptive. 
He  also  died  before  the  king,  1827,  leaving  no  heir  ;  and 
William,  Duke  of  Clarence,  became  the  heir-presump- 
tive to  the  crown. 

Mark  the  distinction  between  the  heir --apparent  and 
the  h.€\x-presumptive.  The  king's  oldest  son  is  an  heir- 
apparent,  because  nothing  but  his  own  death  can  come 
between  him  and  the  crown  ;  but  if  the  king  has  no 
child,  then  the  nearest  relative  to  the  king  becomes  the 
heir-presumptive,  so  called  because  his  right  may  be 


154 


CURIO  US .  Q  UES  TIONS. 


defeated  by  the  birth  of  a  child  to  the  king.  On  the 
death  of  George  IV.,  the  Duke  of  Clarence  ascended 
the  throne  as  William  IV.,  and  was  at  the  same  time  the 
first  William  of  Hanover,  the  second  of  Ireland,  and  the 
third  of  Scotland.  He  was  nearly  sixty  years  of  age 
when  he  came  to  the  throne,  1830.  His  reign  of  seven 
years  was  a  very  peaceful  one.  The  celebrated  Reform 
Bill  was  passed,  which  gave  to  the  middle  classes  a  larger 
representation  in  Parliament ;  the  chief  power  having 
been  up  to  this  time  in  the  hands  of  the  landholding 
nobility. 

One  of  the  most  important  acts  of  the  Reform  Parlia- 
ment was  the  abolition  of  slavery  in  the  British  colonies. 
The  merit  of  this  was  mainly  due  to  William  Wilber- 
force,  who  for  many  years  had  devoted  himself  to  the 
question  of  emancipation. 

For  the  800,000  slaves  who  received  their  freedom, 
a  compensation  of  ^20,000,000  was  paid  by  the  English 
Government  to  their  masters,  to  indemnify  them  for 
their  loss. 

The  names  of  two  great  political  parties  —  the  Whigs 
and  the  Tories  —  disappeared  in  this  reign.  These 
names  originated  in  the  reign  of  Charles  II.,  succeeding 
the  terms  Cavaliers  and  Roundheads  of  the  Common- 
wealth. The  Tory  party  were  in  favor  of  the  divine 
right  and  absolute  authority  of  the  king,  while  the  Whig 
party  insisted  upon  the  rights  and  privileges  of  the 
people.  After  the  Reform  Bill  was  passed,  the  Tories 
changed  their  name  to  Conservatives,  and  the  Whigs 
became  known  as  Liberals.  The  Conservatives  wish 
but  few  changes  in  the  government,  while  the  Liberals 
are  still  clamoring  for  reform. 

William  IV.  died  at  Windsor,  when  seventy-two  years 
old  (June  20,  1837),  and  was  succeeded  by  his  niece,  the 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


155 


present  Queen  Victoria.  She  also  was  an  heir-presump- 
tive, being  the  daughter  of  his  brother  Edward,  Duke 
of  Kent,  who  had  died  in  1820;  but  she  reigns  in  undis- 
puted right.  By  referring  to  the  table  of  the  kings  of 
England,  it  will  be  seen  that  Victoria  is  an  immediate 
»  descendant  of  Egbert,  who,  in  the  year  827,  united  the 
Saxon  Octarchy,  and  became  the  first  king  of  England. 
Her  ancestors  have,  therefore,  with  but  little  interrup- 
tion, occupied  the  throne  for  more  than  a  thousand 
years.  Her  title  is  Alexandria  Victoria,  Queen  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland,  and  Empress  of  India.  She  was 
born  May  24,  18 19,  proclaimed  Queen  of  England  June 
20,  1837,  and  married  to  her  cousin,  Prince  Albert  of 
Saxe-Coburg  Gotha,  Feb.  10,  1840.  The  present  heir- 
apparent  to  the  throne  is  her  son,  Albert  Edward,  Prince 
of  Wales. 


130.    THE  LITERARY  ORACLE. 

It  has  been  said  of  Dr.  Samuel  Johnson,  that  "he 
sat  in  his  easy-chair,  and  was  for  twenty  years  the  lit- 
erary oracle  of  the  world." 

He  was  a  famous  English  writer,  born  in  Lichfield, 
1709. 

In  1755  he  completed  his  dictionary,  after  eight  years 
of  solid  labor  upon  it. 

It  was  the  first  large  dictionary  of  the  English  lan- 
guage ;  and  the  research  upon  all  subjects  which  this 
one  work  required,  entitled  him  to  be  looked  upon  as 
an  oracle. 

Besides  his  dictionary,  he  published  many  other 
works.  His  "  Rasselas,  Prince  of  Abyssinia,"  a  story, 
is  said  to  have  been  written  in  the  evenings  of  a  single 
week,  to  defray  the  expenses  of  his  mother's  funeral. 


i56 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


In  1762  he  emerged  from  the  poverty  which  had  sur- 
rounded and  hampered  him,  as  it  did  most  of  the  lit- 
erary men  in  his  time ;  Lord  Bute  having  conferred 
upon  him  a  pension  of  three  hundred  pounds  a  year. 

His  "  Lives  of  the  Poets  "  was  his  last  literary  work 
of  importance.  He  died  Dec.  13,  1784,  and  was  buried 
in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral. 


131.    "LA  PIETA." 

The  principal  work  of  Michael  Angelo's  youth  — 
"that  work  by  which  he  suddenly  passed  from  being  an 
esteemed  artist  to  the  most  famous  sculptor  in  Italy" 
—  is  at  present  in  St.  Peter's,  Rome,  but  in  such  a 
poor  light  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  obtain  a  sight 
of  it. 

Michael  Angelo  was  only  twenty-four  years  old  when 
he  completed  his  "La  Pieta."  ("La  Pieta"  is  the  name 
given  by  Italians  to  the  group  consisting  of  the  dead 
Christ  and  the  mourning  Mary.) 

Condivi  says,  "He  was  the  first  master  in  Italy,  the 
first  in  the  world  from  henceforth."  He  is  said  to  have 
taken  as  his  models  for  the  group,  subjects  of  the  Court 
of  the  Inquisition. 

Grimm  says  of  this  group,  "  Our  deepest  sympathy 
is  awakened  by  the  sight  of  Christ ;  the  attitude  of  the 
whole  human  form  lying  there,  as  if  by  death  he  had 
again  become  a  child  whom  the  mother  had  taken  in 
her  arms." 

The  Cardinal  of  San  Dionigi,  a  Frenchman,  commis- 
sioned Michael  Angelo  to  execute  this  work. 

The  position  of  the  two  figures  with  regard  to  each 
other  was  not  an  unusual  one  at  that  time.  Many 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


157 


painters  before  Michael  Angelo  had  so  represented 
Mary  and  Christ,  but  Michael  Angelo  in  his  "Pieta" 
has  far  surpassed  them  all. 

"La  Pieta  "  was  finished  in  1499.    Grimm  says, — 

"  Whatever  previously  to  this  work  had  been  produced  by 
sculptors  in  Italy  passes  into  shadow,  and  assumes  the  appearance 
of  attempts  in  which  there  is  something  lacking,  whether  in  idea 
or  in  execution.  Here  both  are  provided  for.  The  artist,  the 
work,  and  the  circumstances'  of  the  time,  combine  together;  and 
the  result  is  something  that  deserves  to  be  called  perfect." 


132.    THE  SUNDAY  STONE  OF  THE  OXFORD  MUSEUM. 

This  is  a  large  stone  taken  from  a  colliery-drain,  and 
is  remarkable  in  that  it  constitutes  a  perfect  calendar 
of  Sundays  and  holidays. 

The  stone  is  composed  of  carbonate  of  lime.  When 
the  miners  were  at  work,  the  water  running  through 
the  drain  left  a  deposit  colored  black  by  coal-dust ;  but 
when  they  were  not  at  work,  the  water  ran  clown  clear, 
and  left  a  white  deposit.  In  time  these  black  and  white 
layers  made  a  stone  of  considerable  thickness,  which 
constitutes  quite  a  calendar. 

Each  day  of  work  has  left  a  black  streak,  which  is 
followed  by  a  white  streak  left  during  the  night.  Wide 
white  streaks  mark  the  Sundays  and  other  holidays, 
and  from  this  circumstance  the  stone  is  called  "The 
Sunday  Stone." 


133.    THE  MASSAGET^E. 

The  Massagetae,  an  offshoot  of  the  Scythians,  were 
a  nomadic  people  inhabiting  the  eastern  shores  of  the 
Caspian  Sea. 

Herodotus  says  that  "they  had  a  community  of  wives  ; 


158 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


that  they  sacrificed  and  devoured  their  aged  people ; 
that  they  worshipped  the  sun,  and  offered  horses  to 
him  ;  that  they  lived  on  the  milk  and  flesh  of  their 
herds,  and  on  fish  ;  that  they  fought  on  horseback  and 
on  foot,  with  lance  and  bow  and  double-edged  axe." 

An  unfortunate  campaign  against  this  uncivilized, 
well-mounted  nation  brought  the  hitherto  victorious 
career  of  Cyrus  the  Great  to  a  close. 

He  had  just  completed  his  conquest  of  Babylon,  and 
was  preparing  to  march  against  Egypt,  when,  in  an 
engagement  with  the  Scythians,  or  Massagetae,  he  was 
defeated  and  slain. 

In  a  previous  engagement  with  them  he  had  been 
entirely  victorious,  taking  prisoner  their  leader,  a  son 
of  Tomyris,  queen  of  the  Massagetae.  This  had  caused 
such  vexation  to  the  royal  commander,  that  after  Cyrus 
loosened  his  bonds  he  killed  himself.  When  Tomyris 
heard  of  the  death  of  her  son,  fired  with  revenge  and 
grief  she  gathered  all  her  remaining  forces,  and  marched 
against  the  Persians,  and,  at  the  river  Jaxartes,  obtained 
a  complete  victory  over  them.  Cyrus  was  taken  pris- 
oner, and  the  flower  of  his  army  perished,  530  B.C. 

The  Scythian  queen,  it  is  said,  caused  the  great  Cyrus 
to  be  put  to  death  in  the  most  cruel  manner,  and  his 
head  severed  and  cast  into  a  leathern  bag  filled  with 
the  blood  of  the  Persian  soldiers,  saying,  "  Now  mayst 
thou  take  thy  fill  of  blood,  since  in  life  thou  couldst  not 
get  enough." 

His  body  was  afterwards  conveyed  to  Persia,  and 
buried  at  Pasargadae.  There  a  splendid  tomb  of  white 
marble  marks  the  sepulture  of  this  powerful  king,  who 
ruled  from  the  Mediterranean  to  the  Indus,  or  over  the 
whole  of  civilized  Asia. 

One  is  reminded  that  human  nature  is  the  same  in 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


159 


all  ages,  when  we  read  the  stories  of  Jael  and  Sisera, 
of  Judith  and  Holofernes,  in  which  conquerors  were 
put  to  death  by  women.  There  are  besides  these,  nu- 
merous similar  instances  in  Roman  history. 


134.    LONGFELLOW'S  SONNET,  "THREE  FRIENDS 
OF  MINE." 

This  sonnet  is  a  beautiful  tribute  of  friendship  to  the 
memory  of  — 

I.  Cornelius  Conway  Felton,  President  of  Harvard 
College,  who  was  born  at  Newbury,  Mass.,  Nov.  6, 
1807,  and  died  at  Chester,  Penn.,  Feb.  26,  1862.  Presi- 
dent Felton  was  a  very  old  friend  of  the  poet,  and  was 
one  of  the  first  classical  scholars  of  his  time. 

II.  Louis  John  Rudolph  Agassiz,  a  noted  naturalist. 
He  was  born  in  Motiers,  Switzerland,  May  28,  1807, 
and  was  educated  at  the  universities  of  Zurich,  Heidel- 
berg, and  Munich.  When  forty  years  old  he  came  to 
the  United  States,  and  was  made  professor  of  zoology 
and  geology  in  Harvard  College.  He  died  in  Cam- 
bridge, Mass.,  Dec.  14,  1873. 

III.  Charles  Sumner,  an  American  statesman,  born 
in  Boston,  Mass.,  Jan.  6,  181 1.  Slavery  had  no  more 
bitter  enemy  than  he,  and  during  his  whole  public  life 
he  waged  a  continual  warfare  in  the  cause  of  freedom. 
He  died  in  Washington,  D.C.,  March  11,  1874. 


135    THE  ESCURIAL. 

The  Escurial  is  a  famous  edifice  of  New  Castile, 
Spain,  thirty  miles  north-west  of  Madrid.  It  is  at  once 
a  palace,  a  church,  a  monastery,  a  museum,  and  a  burial- 
place. 


i6o 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


This  solid  pile  of  granite  has  been  called  the  eighth 
wonder  of  the  world,  and  at  the  time  of  its  erection  it 
surpassed  every  building  of  its  kind  in  size  and  magnifi- 
cence. It  owes  its  origin,  it  is  said,  to  a  vow  made  by- 
Philip  II.  during  the  battle  of  St.  Quentin.  On  that 
occasion  he  implored  the  aid  of  St.  Lawrence  (on  whose 
day  the  battle  was  fought,  Aug.  10,  1557),  and  vowed, 
that,  if  victory  were  granted  him,  he  would  dedicate  a 
monastery  to  the  saint. 

The  Escurial  is  built  in  the  form  of  a  gridiron,  in  allu- 
sion to  the  instrument  of  St.  Lawrence's  martyrdom. 

The  building  is  seven  hundred  and  forty-four  feet  by 
five  hundred  and  eighty  feet,  divided  into  long  courts 
which  indicate  the  interstices  of  the  gridiron-bars. 

The  towers  at  the  corners  of  the  Escurial  represent 
the  feet  of  the  gridiron,  which  is  supposed  to  be  lying 
upside  down  :  and  from  the  centre  of  one  of  the  sides  a 
range  of  buildings  abuts,  representing  the  handle ;  these 
form  the  royal  residences. 

The  Escurial  was  commenced  in  1563,  and  finished  in 
1584,  and  was  intended  to  serve  as  a  palace,  a  monastery, 
and  a  mausoleum  :  the  latter,  called  the  Pantheon,  is 
a  magnificently  decorated  octagonal-shaped  chamber, 
thirty-six  feet  in  diameter,  and  thirty-eight  feet  high. 
In  the  eight  sides  of  it  are  numerous  black  marble 
sarcophagi,  in  which  only  kings,  or  the  mothers  of  kings, 
are  buried. 

The  Escurial  contains  fourteen  thousand  doors,  and 
eleven  thousand  windows,  and  cost  six  million  ducats. 

Its  library  contains  thirty  thousand  printed  books, 
and  forty-three  hundred  manuscripts. 

In  1872  the  Escurial  was  struck  by  lightning,  and 
partly  burned. 

The  Escurial  is  saved  from  going  to  ruin  by  grants  of 
public  money  which  are  occasionally  made. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


161 


136.    THE  TOWERS  OF  SILENCE. 

In  Persia  stand  two  towers  called  by  the  Parsee  the 
"  Towers  of  Silence." 

According  to  their  religion,  they  never  bury  their 
dead,  but  have  the  body  exposed  on  the  top  of  one  of 
these  towers,  until  the  sun  and  the  rain  and  the  fowls 
of  the  air  have  cleaned  the  bones  of  all  flesh.  The 
bones  are  then  collected,  and  placed  in  the  other 
tower. 

These  Parsees,  who  are  followers  of  Zoroaster,  and 
very  devout,  have  almost  disappeared  as  a  people,  there 
being  only  about  eight  thousand  of  them  at  the  present 
time. 


137.    THE  GUELPHS  AND  GHIBELLINES. 

The  Guelphs  and  the  Ghibellines  were  the  two  great 
political  parties  whose  conflicts  make  up  the  history 
of  Italy  and  Germany  from  the  eleventh  century  to  the 
fourteenth. 

Guelph  is  the  Italian  form  of  "Welfe,"  and  Ghibelline 
of  "  Waiblingen ; "  and  the  origin  of  these  words  is 
this : — 

At  the  battle  of  Weinsburg,  in  Swabia,  in  1140, 
Conrad,  Duke  of  Franconia,  rallied  his  followers  with 
the  war-cry,  "  Hie  Waiblingen  !  "  and  Henry  the  Lion, 
Duke  of  Saxony,  rallied  his  with  "  Hie  Welfe !  "  (the 
family  names  of  the  rival  chiefs).  The  Ghibellines  were 
the  supporters  of  the  emperor's  authority  in  Italy;  while 
the  Guelphs  were  Anti-Imperialists,  or  supporters  of  the 
supremacy  of  the  Pope. 

In  1334  Benedict  III.  proscribed,  under  penalty  of 
the  censure  of  the  Church,  the  further  use  of  these  once 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


stirring  words  which  had  been  for  so  long  the  rallying- 
words  of  a  sanguinary  warfare.  From  the  fourteenth 
century,  therefore,  we  hear  no  more  of  the  Guelphs  and 
Ghibellines. 


138.    CLASSIC  AND  ROMANTIC  LITERATURE. 

The  term  "  classic  "  has,  ever  since  the  second  cen- 
tury, been  applied  to  writers  of  the  highest  rank,  from 
the  Latin  word  classicus,  originally  applied  to  Roman 
citizens  of  the  first  rank  as  divided  by  Servius  Tullius. 

The  classes  were  called  classicus  primus,  classicus 
secundus,  tertius,  etc.  :  after  a  while  classicus  alone  im- 
plied the  class,  meaning  the  first  class. 

Since  the  great  productions  of  writers  and  artists  of 
antiquity  have  continued  to  be  looked  upon  as  models  of 
perfection,  the  term  "  Classics  "  has  come  to  designate 
the  best  writers  of  ancient  Greece  and  Rome ;  while 
"  Classical "  means  much  the  same  as  ancient. 

The  "  Romantic  School  "  was  a  term  first  assumed  in 
Germany,  about  the  beginning  of  the  present  century, 
by  a  number  of  young  poets  and  critics  who  wished  to 
indicate  that  they  sought  the  essence  of  art  and  poetry 
in  the  wonderful  and  fantastic, — elements  which  char- 
acterized the  romance  literature  of  the  Middle  Ages. 

Some  twenty  or  thirty  years  later  a  similar  school 
arose  in  France,  and  had  a  long  struggle  with  the  older 
Classic  School ;  but,  with  the  exceptions  of  Lamartine 
and  Victor  Hugo,  they  rushed  into  such  literary  and 
moral  excesses,  that  it  is  now  stamped  rather  as  a 
revolutionary  than  as  a  reformatory  school. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


163 


139.    IL  BAMBINO. 

Bambino  (Italian  for  little  boy)  is  a  term  applied  to 
the  swaddled  figure  of  the  infant  Saviour,  which,  carved 
or  painted,  forms  the  subject  of  many  altar-pieces  in 
Roman-Catholic  churches. 

The  most  celebrated  of  these  is  the  Santissimo  Bam- 
bino of  the  Church  Ara  Cceli  at  Rome. 

The  "  Chapel  of  the  Presepio "  (manger)  is  closed 
except  during  the  Epiphany  season,  when  the  whole  of 
this  side-chapel  is  devoted  to  an  exhibition  of  the  Bam- 
bino. 

Mary,  with  Joseph  at  her  side  and  the  miraculous 
Bambino  in  her  lap,  is  represented  as  seated  in  a  grotto: 
immediately  behind  are  an  ass  and  an  ox.  The  shep- 
herds and  kings  kneel  in  adoration  at  one  side.  In  the 
middle  ground  is  a  crystal  fountain  of  glass,  near  which 
sheep,  made  of  real  wool,  are  feeding,  tended  by  figures 
of  shepherds  carved  in  wood.  Still  nearer  are  women 
bearing  baskets  of  real  fruit  on  their  heads.  All  the 
figures  are  full  sized,  carved  in  wood,  painted  and 
dressed  appropriately.  The  Bambino,  swaddled  in  a 
white  dress,  is  crusted  over  with  magnificent  diamonds, 
emeralds,  and  rubies.  The  Virgin  also  wears  in  her 
ears  diamond  pendants. 

In  the  background  is  a  scenic  representation  of  a  pas- 
toral landscape,  in  which  much  skill  has  been  expended, 
and  with  good  results. 

The  festival  of  the  Bambino  (Jan.  6)  is  very  largely 
attended :  crowds  flock  to  it,  and  press  about  the  chapel 
all  day  long. 

At  other  times  the  Bambino  is  kept  in  the  sacristy, 
except  when  it  drives  out  with  its  special  attendants,  in 
its  own  carriage,  to  visit  the  sick,  among  whom  it  is 


164 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


believed  to  work  miracles.  It  is  never  left  alone.  The 
Church  Ara  Cceli  is  full  of  interesting  monuments  of 
ancient  date. 

The  interior  of  the  church  is  vast,  solemn,  and 
highly  picturesque.  It  is  here,  as  Gibbon  tells  us,  that 
on  the  15th  of  October,  1764,  as  he  sat  musing,  while 
the  barefooted  friars  were  singing  vespers,  the  idea 
of  writing  the  "  Decline  and  Fall  "  of  the  city  first  came 
to  his  mind. 


140.    JOUSTS  AND  TOURNAMENTS. 

The  jousts,  tilts,  and  tournaments,  in  which  knights 
were  frequently  engaged,  were  military  exercises,  gen- 
erally performed  at  courts  of  princes,  or  at  the  castles 
of  great  feudal  lords.  Jousts  were  single  combats 
between  two  knights,  and  were  of  two  kinds  :  the  joute 
a  F  outrance,  or  mortal  combat;  and  the  joute  a  plaisance, 
or  the  jousts  of  peace.  Tilts  were  exercises  on  horse- 
back in  which  the  combatants  attacked  each  other  with 
lances. 

The  tilting-armor  was  of  light  fabric.  When  the 
tilt  was  over,  the  prize  was  bestowed  upon  the  victor 
by  the  Queen  of  Beauty  chosen  by  the  ladies.  Tourna- 
ments were  performed  between  two  parties  of  cavaliers. 

The  description  of  a  tournament  in  Sir  Walter 
Scott's  "  Ivanhoe,"  called  "  The  gentle  passage  of  arms 
of  Ashby  de  la  Zouche,"  has, probably  never  been  ex- 
ceeded in  graphic  beauty  by  any  writer :  the  reader 
can  scarcely  believe  that  he  has  not  the  scene  before 
him. 

These  exhibitions  were  a  favorite  amusement  during 
the  days  of  chivalry,  and  drew  together  large  assem- 
blies of  the  rank  and  beauty  of  the  times. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


I65 


The  great  expense  of  organizing  and  attending  them, 
caused  them  frequently  to  be  prohibited  by  the  princes. 

They  gradually  went  out  of  use  as  chivalry  declined, 
and  the  art  of  warfare  was  changed  by  the  introduction 
of  gunpowder. 


141.    THE  JANIZARIES. 

The  Turkish  military  force  known  as  the  Janizaries 
{  Yeni  Askari,  new  soldier)  was  originally  made  up  by  Sul- 
tan Orkhan,  about  the  year  A.D.  1330,  of  Christian  cap- 
tives, who  were  compelled  to  embrace  Mohammedanism. 
They  were  not  regularly  organized  until  1362,  when 
Amurath  I.,  after  conquering  the  southern  Slavic  king- 
dom, claimed  one-fifth  of  the  able-bodied  young  cap- 
tives, to  be  converted  to  Islamism,  and  educated  as 
soldiers.  This  was  done  with  extraordinary  care ;  and 
they  soon  became  a  formidable  means  of  defence,  and 
the  body-guard  of  the  Sultan. 

Originally  they  numbered  1,000,  but  Amurath  in- 
creased the  number  to  10,000;  and  in  the  seventeenth 
century  there  were  about  100,000  of  them  serving  in 
the  line  throughout  the  empire. 

Under  Solyman  the  Magnificent,  the  Janizaries 
formed  the  best  disciplined  force  in  Europe,  and  were 
noted  for  the  wild  impetuosity  of  their  attack  ;  but  after 
the  death  of  Solyman  they  began  to  decline. 

The  history  of  the  Janizaries  abounds  in  conspiracies, 
assassinations  of  Sultans,  and  atrocities  of  every  kind ; 
so  that  they  finally  became  more  dangerous  to  the  Sul- 
tan than  his  foreign  enemies. 

The  lowest  officer  of  this  force  was  the  cook,  for 
whom  the  soldiers  manifested  the  greatest  reverence. 
They  never  appeared  without  a  wooden  spoon  in  their 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


turbans,  and  on  great  occasions  always  assembled  around 
their  kettles ;  their  revolts  were  always  proclaimed  by 
reversing  the  kettles  ;  and  to  lose  one  of  these  utensils 
in  battle  was  as  much  of  a  disgrace  as  it  is  in  our  day 
to  lose  the  colors. 

The  attempts  of  the  Sultans  to  reform  or  dissolve 
the  Janizaries  were  always  unsuccessful  until  Mahmoud 
II.  came  to  the  throne,  in  1826.  He  matured  a  plan  for 
ridding  himself  of  them,  and  published  a  decree  that 
one  hundred  and  fifty  of  every  regiment  should  become 
regularly  disciplined  soldiers. 

This,  as  was  expected,  led  to  a  revolt ;  but,  the  Sultan 
.being  prepared  for  it,  the  Janizaries  were  beaten  on 
every  side. 

Burned  alive  in  their  barracks,  cannonaded  in  the 
Atmeidan  where  they  made  their  most  desperate  stand, 
and  massacred  singly  in  the  streets,  they  were,  in  three 
months,  entirely  destroyed  as  a  force. 

Fifteen  thousand  of  them  were  executed,  twenty 
thousand 'condemned  to  exile;  and  in  July,  1826,  the 
Sultan  issued  a  proclamation  declaring  the  Janizary 
forces  forever  dissolved. 

In  the  arsenal  of  the  ancient  palace  of  the  Sultans 
at  Constantinople  are  to  be  seen  some  wax  effigies  of 
the  Janizaries. 

At  the  taking  of  Constantinople  by  the  Turks  (May 
29,  1453),  the  Janizaries  played  an  important  part.  The 
Sultan  had  promised  double  pay  to  his  victorious  troops  ; 
and,  according  to  Gibbon's  "  Decline  and  Fall  of  the 
Roman  Empire,"  he  had  said,  in  addressing  the  military 
chiefs  of  his  army,  "  Many  are  the  provinces  of  my 
empire :  the  intrepid  soldier  who  first  ascends  the  walls 
of  Constantinople  shall  be  rewarded  with  the  govern- 
ment of  the  fairest  and  most  wealthy,  and  my  grati- 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


167 


tude  shall  accumulate  his  honors  and  fortunes  above 
the  measure  of  his  own  hopes."  The  history  goes  on 
to  relate,  "The  first  who  deserved  the  Sultan's  reward 
was  Hassan  the  Janizary,  of  gigantic  stature  and 
strength.  With  his  cimeter  in  one  hand,  and  his  buck- 
ler in  the  other,  he  ascended  the  outward  fortification  : 
of  the  thirty  Janizaries  who  were  emulous  of  his  valor, 
eighteen  perished  in  the  bold  adventure.  Hassan  and 
his  twelve  companions  had  reached  the  summit :  the 
giant  was  precipitated  from  the  rampart ;  he  rose  on 
one  knee,  and  was  again  oppressed  by  a  shower  of  darts 
and  stones.  But  his  success  had  proved  that  the 
achievement  was  possible  ;  the  walls  and  towers  were 
instantly  covered  with  a  swarm  of  Turks :  and  the 
Greeks,  now  driven  from  the  vantage-ground,  were  over- 
whelmed by  increasing  multitudes.  ...  It  was  thus, 
after  a  siege  of  fifty-three  days,  that  Constantinople, 
which  had  defied  the  power  of  Chosroes,  the  Chagan, 
and t  the  caliphs,  was  irretrievably  subdued  by  the  arms 
of  Mahomet  the  Second." 


142.    THE  "ILIAD"  AND  "ODYSSEY." 

The  "  Iliad,"  written  during  the  early  life  of  Homer, 
is  one  of  the  earliest,  and  considered  the  finest,  of  epic 
poems.  It  relates  the  adventures  of  the  Greek  heroes 
during  the  last  year  of  the  Trojan  war. 

The  "Odyssey,"  written  during  the  old  age  of  Homer, 
relates  the  adventures  of  the  hero  Ulysses  while  re- 
turning from  the  Trojan  war.  It  is,  in  point  of  charac- 
ters and  story,  a  sequel  to  the  "  Iliad." 

These  poems  were  the  ultimate  standard  of  appeal 
on  all  matters  of  religious  doctrine  and  early  history 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


among  the  Greeks.  In  the  time  of  Socrates,  there  were 
Athenians  who  could  repeat  both  poems  by  heart. 
Long  after  the  Greeks  lost  their  independence,  the 
"  Iliad"  and  the  "  Odyssey"  continued  to  maintain  an 
undiminished  hold  upon  their  affections. 

In  two  legends  of  the  Trojan  war,  "The  Anger  of 
Achilles"  and  "The  Return  of  Ulysses,"  Homer  found 
the  subjects  for  the  "Iliad"  and  the  "Odyssey."  In 
late  years  there  has  been  much  controversy  as  to  the 
existence  of  Homer :  many  scholars  regard  the  poems 
as  the  development  from  early  recitals,  and  many  others 
think  the  two  had  different  authors.  The  period  of 
Homer's  life  is  unknown,  and  the  siege  of  Troy  took 
place  a  long  time  antecedent  to  it. 


143.    THE    REBUILDING    OF    THE    TEMPLE  OF 
JERUSALEM. 

The  Emperor  Hadrian  issued  an  edict  which  allowed 
no  Jew  to  approach  Jerusalem  except  on  the  anniversary 
of  the  capture  of  the  city  by  Titus,  when,  on  payment 
of  a  large  sum,  they  were  admitted  to  the  city  to  mourn 
over  the  site  of  their  fallen  greatness.  This  edict  was 
still  in  force  in  the  reign  of  Julian  the  Apostate. 

Julian  the  Apostate,  to  disprove  the  prophecy  of 
Christ,  attempted  to  rebuild  the  temple  of  Jerusalem. 

It  is  said  that  he  summoned  some  of  the  most  emi- 
nent Jews  into  his  presence,  and  asked  them  why  they 
did  not  offer  sacrifices  according  to  their  lawgiver's 
command.  Upon  their  answering  that  it  was  not  law- 
ful  to  sacrifice  except  in  the  temple  of  Jerusalem  (a 
privilege  of  which  they  had  long  been  deprived),  the 
emperor  gave  them  leave  to  rebuild  the  temple,  and 
appointed  one  of  his  own  officers  to  superintend  the 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


169 


work.  The  dispersed  Jews  assembled  from  all  quarters, 
in  eagerness  to  forward  the  undertaking  by  means  of 
their  labor  and  of  their  hoarded  wealth. 

Women  gave  their  ornaments  toward  defraying  the 
cost,  and  themselves  carried  burdens  of  earth  in  their 
silken  dresses.  Even  tools  of  silver  are  said  to  have 
been  used  in  the  work.  The  long-depressed  people 
loudly  proclaimed  their  expectations  of  a  triumphant 
restoration,  when  the  attempt  was  terribly  defeated. 

The  newly  laid  foundations  were  overthrown  by  an 
earthquake ;  and  balls  of  fire  burst  forth  from  the 
ground,  scorching  and  killing  many  of  the  workmen. 

Their  tools  were  melted  by  lightning ;  and  it  is  added 
by  some  writers,  that  the  figure  of  a  cross  surrounded 
by  a  circle  appeared  in  the  sky,  and  that  the  garments 
and  bodies  of  the  workmen  were  marked  with  crosses 
which  it  was  impossible  to  efface. 

The  truth  of  some  of  these  phenomena  is  attested  by 
heathen  as  well  as  Christian  writers  ;  but  the  question 
remains,  how  much  of  the  story  ought  to  be  regarded 
as  fabulous  embellishment,  and  how  far  the  occur- 
rences, which  produced  the  impression  of  miracle,  may 
have  been  the  result  of  ordinary  physical  causes. 

It  has  been  supposed  that  some  portions  of  Julian's 
work  may  yet  be  distinguished  among  the  ruins  of  the 
temple. 

At  present  the  Mohammedan  mosque  of  Omar  occu- 
pies the  site  of  the  original  temple  of  Jerusalem. 


144.    WHY  PENNSYLVANIA   IS   CALLED  "THE 
KEYSTONE  STATE." 

There  are  several  theories  advaneed  as  to  the  manner 
in  which  this  appellation  was  received.    The  one  most 


i7o 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


generally  accepted,  and  the  most  dear  to  all  who  own 
Pennsylvania  as  their  native  State,  is  that  Pennsylvania 
decided  the  great  issue  of  American  Independence. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Continental  Congress  in  Phila- 
delphia, July.  4,  1776,  the  vote  adopting  the  Declaration 
of  Independence  was  taken  by  States. 

Of  the  thirteen  original  States,  six  had  already  voted 
in  the  affirmative,  and  "six  in  the  negative :  when  the 
delegation  from  Pennsylvania  came  in,  John  Morton 
cast  the  deciding  vote  in  the  affirmative. 

Thus  Pennsylvania,  by  her  vote,  decided  the  great 
issue,  and  was  named  the  Keystone  State. 

Another  reason  advanced  is,  that  in  constructing  a 
bridge  between  Pennsylvania  Avenue  and  Georgetown, 
Washington,  D.C.,  a  single  arch  was  erected  of  stones 
left  from  building  the  walls  of  the  Capitol. 

On  the  thirteen  vonssoirs,  or  arch-stones,  the  names 
of  the  thirteen  States  were  engraved.  Pennsylvania, 
falling  in  the  keystone  of  the  arch,  became  still  more 
widely  known  as  the  Keystone  State. 


145.  ZENOBIA. 

Zenobia  Septimia  was  the  daughter  of  an  Arab  chief 
and  the  wife  of  Odenatus,  King  of  Palmyra.  She  was 
remarkable  for  great  beauty  and  learning :  she  spoke 
the  Latin,  Greek,  Syriac,  and  Egyptian  languages,  be- 
sides Arabic,  and  was  the  friend  and  protector  of  learned 
men.  She  accompanied  her  husband  in  his  wars ;  and 
it  is  said  that  the  success  of  some  of  his  greatest  battles 
with  the  Persians  was  owing  to  her  counsel,  prudence, 
and  bravery. 

Gallienus,  the  Roman  emperor,  acknowledged  Ode- 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


171 


natus  his  partner  on  the  Roman  throne ;  and  on  the 
death  of  Odenatus  (A.D.  266),  Zenobia  took  the  title  of 
Queen  of  the  East,  and  reigned  as  regent  for  her  infant 
children,  who  were  honored  with  the  title  of  Caesars. 
She  assumed  the  title  of  Augusta,  and  appeared  in  im- 
perial robes.  For  five  years  she  ruled  with  firmness  and 
success,  though  the  Romans  tried  to  take  away  her  power. 

When  Aurelian  became  emperor  of  Rome  he  imme- 
diately marched  to  the  East,  determined  to  punish  the 
pride  of  Zenobia.  He  was  well  aware  of  her  valor,  and 
of  her  successes  in  war.  Egypt  acknowledged  her 
power,  and  all  the  provinces  of  Asia  Minor  were  subject 
to  her  command.  When  Aurelian  approached  Syria, 
Zenobia  appeared  at  the  head  of  seven  hundred  thou- 
sand men.  She  bore  the  hardships,  and  performed  the 
labors  of  the  field,  like  the  meanest  of  her  soldiers,  and 
walked  on  foot  fearless  of  danger. 

Two  battles  were  fought,  in  which  the  queen  was  vic- 
torious ;  but  an  imprudent  evolution  of  the  Palmyrean 
cavalry  ruined  her  cause,  and  defeat  was  inevitable. 
She  fled  to  Palmyra,  and  endured  a  siege  ;  but  when  she 
found  the  city  could  hold  out  no  longer,  she  escaped 
from  it  by  night,  but  was  overtaken  and  captured 
(A.D.  273).  She  was  brought  into  the  presence  of 
Aurelian  ;  and  although  the  soldiers  were  clamorous  for 
her  death,  he  decided  to  reserve  his  fair  and  celebrated 
captive  to  adorn  the  triumph  of  her  conqueror.  As  she 
was  led  through  the  streets  of  Rome,  she  almost  fainted 
beneath  the  weight  of  the  jewels  and  gold  chains  with 
which  she  was  adorned.  Aurelian  treated  her  with 
great  humanity,  and  gave  her  a  handsome  residence  near 
Tivoli,  where  she  passed  the  rest  of  her  life  in  comfort 
and  luxury  as  a  Roman  matron  of  high  rank.  She 
compiled  an  abridgment  of  the  history  of  the  Oriental 


172 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


nations  and  of  Egypt,  which  was  greatly  commended 
by  the  ancients.  Her  children  married  into  families  of 
high  distinction  at  Rome. 


146.  SANSKRIT  LITERATURE. 

The  Sanskrit  is  the  language  of  the  ancient  Hindoos  : 
it  is  not  now  spoken,  and  is  understood  only  by  "the 
Brahmins,  and  by  scholars  who  have  made  special  study 
of  it. 

It  was  the  opening  up  of  this  tongue  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  European  scholars  at  the  close  of  the  last  cen- 
tury, that  led  to  the  grouping  of  all  the  languages  of 
Europe  under  the  Aryan  family. 

It  was  found  that  Sanskrit,  both  in  its  words  and 
grammar,  bore  a  remarkable  likeness  to  the  Greek, 
Latin,  German,  Celtic,  and  Slavonic  languages ;  and 
though  Sanskrit  is  not  regarded  as  the  parent  of  these 
dialects,  it  is  looked  upon  as  the  language  nearest  to 
the  original  speech  of  the  undivided  Aryans. 

Among  the  oldest  writings  in  this  language  are  the 
Vedas,  which  are  believed  to  be  as  old  as  2000  B.C. 
They  form  part  of  the  sacred  books  of  the  Brahminic 
religion. 

In  addition  to  the  Vedas,  the  Hindoos  possess  a  very 
extensive  literature  in  both  prose  and  poetry.  A  large 
number  of  these  works  have  been  translated  by  modern 
scholars. 

147.  CHORAGIC  MONUMENTS.1 

These  monuments  were  memorials  erected  by  private 
persons  in  honor  of  a  victory  obtained  by  them  in  public 
musical  contests. 

1  Called  Choragic  from  Choragus,  a  chorus-leader. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


173 


The  motive  of  the  design  in  these  buildings  was  to 
obtain  a  support  for  the  tripod,  which  had  been  re- 
ceived as  the  reward  of  victory,  and  which,  in  the  true 
Greek  spirit,  was  to  be  placed  in  public  view  as  a 
consecrated  gift. 

For  this  purpose,  either  a  column  was  used,  the  capi- 
tal of  which  supported  the  Tripod,  or  a  more  extensive 
substructure  was  formed  for  it. 

The  richest  and  most  beautiful  of  these  monuments 
is  that  of  Lysicrates,  erected  in  honor  of  a  victory  ob- 
tained in  the  year  334  B.C.  :  also  may  be  named  the 
so-called  "Tower  of  the  Winds,"  or  the  "Lantern  of 
Diogenes." 

On  one  of  the  streets  of  Athens  there  were  so  many 
of  these  monuments,  that  it  was  called  the  "  Street  of 
the  Tripods." 


148.    THE  "SEVEN  WISE  MEN  OF  GREECE." 

The  so-called  "  Seven  Wise  Men  of  Greece "  were 
Pittacus  of  Mitylene,  Bias  of  Prienne,  Solon  of  Athens, 
Chilon  of  Lacedaemon,  Cleobulus  of  Lyndus,  Periander 
of  Corinth,  and  Thales  of  Miletus. 

The  origin  of  the  title  "  Seven  Wise  Men  "  was  as 
follows  :  Some  fishermen  of  Miletus  sold  a  draught  of 
fishes  to  some  by-standers  before  the  net  was  drawn 
in.  When  the  draught  came  in,  there  was  also  in  the 
net  a  golden  tripod.  The  fishermen  claimed  that  they 
had  sold  only  the  fish  :  the  buyers  claimed  that  they  had 
bought  the  whole  draught.  To  settle  the  dispute,  they 
referred  the  matter  to  the  Oracle  of  Delphi. 

Being  ordered  to  adjudge  the  tripod  to  the  wisest 
man  in  Greece,  they  offered  it  to  their  fellow-citizen 
Thales  ;  but  he  modestly  replied  that  there  was  a  wiser 


174 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


man  than  he,  and  sent  it  to  Bias.  He  also  declined 
the  honor,  and  sent  the  tripod  to  another ;  and  thus  it 
passed  through  the  hands  of  seven  individuals,  who  were 
ever  after  called  the  "  Seven  Wise  Men  of  Greece." 

The  tripod  was  finally  placed  in  the  Temple  of  Apollo 
at  Delphi. 

These  seven  men  met  together  but  twice, — once  av 
Delphi,  and  once  at  Corinth. 

The  chief  maxim  of  each  was  as  follows  : — ■ 

"  Know  thy  opportunity."  —  Pittacus. 

"Most  men  are  bad."  —  Bias. 

"  Know  thyself."  —  Solon. 

"  Consider  the  end."  —  Chilon. 

"Avoid  excess."  —  Cleobulus. 

"Nothing  is  impossible  to  industry." — Periander. 

"Suretyship  is  the  precursor  of  ruin."  —  Thales. 


149.   THE  LAST  OF  THE  GLADIATORS. 

The  first  gladiatorial  show  which  we  read  of  in 
Roman  history  was  about  the  year  of  the  city  490  (263 
B.C.),  given  by  Marcus  and  Decius  Brutus  (called  the 
Bruti)  at  the  funeral  of  their  father.  Afterwards  these 
exhibitions  were  given  by  the  magistrates  at  regular 
periods,  and  at  length  they  became  the  chief  means  of 
obtaining  the  favor  of  the  people. 

The  emperors  exceeded  all  others  in  the  extent  and 
magnificence  of  these  cruel  spectacles.  Julius  Caesar 
gave  a  show  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  couples. 
Titus  gave  a  show  of  gladiators  with  wild  beasts  for 
one  hundred  days  ;  Trajan  for  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
three  days,  in  which  twenty  thousand  gladiators,  chiefly 
Dacian  prisoners,  and  eleven  thousand  wild  beasts,  are 
said  to  have  been  slain  for  the  amusement  of  seventy 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


1 75 


thousand  Romans,  patricians  and  plebeians,  the  highest 
ladies  and  the  lowest  rabble,  assembled  in  the  Coliseum. 

The  gladiators  consisted  chiefly  of  slaves,  captives, 
and  condemned  malefactors  ;  but  sometimes  free-born 
citizens  became  gladiators  for  hire.  Even  persons  of 
high  birth  were  induced  to  display  their  skill  and  cour- 
age before  the  people  in  these  combats. 

The  gladiators  were  trained  and  sworn  to  fight  to  the 
death.  If  they  showed  cowardice,  they  were  killed  after 
torture. 

When  one  of  the  combatants  was  disarmed  or  upon 
the  ground,  the  victor  looked  to  the  emperor  if  pres- 
ent, or  to  the  people,  for  the  signal  of  death.  If  they 
raised  their  thumbs,  his  life  was  spared  :  if  they  turned 
them  down,  the  victor  executed  the  fatal  mandate. 

A  gladiator  who  had  conquered  was  rewarded  with 
a  branch  of  palm  or  with  his  freedom.  The  Emperor 
Constantine  prohibited  these  contests  of  gladiators 
(A.D.  325),  but  they  could  not  at  once  be  abolished. 

In  the  reign  of  Honorius,  son  of  Theodosius  the 
Great,  the  retreat  of  the  Goths  from  Rome,  under  their 
chieftain  Alaric,  was  celebrated  with  great  rejoicing  in 
the  city,  and  with  the  revival  of  the  gladiatorial  con- 
tests. In  the  midst  of  the  games  in  the  Coliseum, 
Telemachus,  a  Christian  monk,  sprang  into  the  arena, 
and,  raising  the  cross  above  his  head,  commanded  the 
gladiators,  in  the  name  of  their  crucified  Lord,  to  cease 
from  their  inhuman  sport. 

The  enraged  multitude  stoned  him  to  death  ;  but  a 
little  later,  overwhelmed  with  remorse  for  the  act,  they 
proclaimed  him  a  martyr. 

The  Emperor  Honorius  took  advantage  of  this  occa- 
sion to  prohibit  gladiatorial  combats  forever  within  the 
amphitheatre  at  Rome  (A.D.  404).  They  ceased  through- 
out the  empire  about  the  year  A.D.  500. 


i;6 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


150.    WHAT  IS  THE  PLOT  OF  THE  OPERA  "LA  TRA- 
VIATA "  ?  ("THE  LOST  ONE"). 

The  scene  of  this  opera  is  in  Paris,  and  the  time  is 
about  the  year  1700. 

The  first  act  takes  place  in  August,  the  second  in 
January,  the  third  in  February. 

The  first  act  commences  with  a  gay  party  in  the 
house  of  Violetta  (the  heroine),  a  young  and  beautiful 
creature,  thrown  by  circumstances  and  the  loss  of  her 
parents  in  childhood,  into  a  course  of  voluptuous  living. 
She  is  surrounded  by  a  circle  of  gay  and  thought- 
less beings,  who,  like  herself,  devote  their  lives  to 
pleasure. 

Amongst  the  throng  who  crowd  to  her  shrine,  is 
Alfred  Germont,  a  young  man,  who  becomes  seriously 
enamored  of  Violetta.  Touched  by  the  sincerity  of 
his  passion,  she  yields  to  his  influence,  a  new  and  pure 
love  springs  up  in  her  heart,  and  for  the  first  time  she 
becomes  conscious  of  the  misery  of  her  position,  and 
the  hollowness  of  the  pleasures  in  which  she  has 
basked. 

In  the  second  act,  three  months  after  the  events  nar- 
rated in  the  first  act,  we  discover  her  living  in  seclusion 
with  her  lover  in  a  country-house  near  Paris. 

Alfred  accidentally  discovers  that  Violetta  has  been 
secretly  selling  her  houses  and  property  in  Paris,  in 
order  to  maintain  this  establishment ;  and,  revolting  at 
the  idea  of  being  a  dependant  on  her  bounty,  he  leaves 
hurriedly  for  Pans,  to  redeem  his  honor  from  this  dis- 
grace. During  his  absence,  his  father,  who  has  discov- 
ered his  retreat,  arrives. 

He  represents  to  Violetta  that  his  son's  connection 
with  her  is  not  only  lowering  him  in  the  opinion  of  the 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


177 


world,  but  will  be  ruinous  to  his  family,  inasmuch  as 
his  sister  was  betrothed  to  a  wealthy  noble,  who  had, 
however,  declared  his  intention  of  renouncing  her,  un- 
less Alfred  would  give  up  Violetta.  The  generous  girl 
resolves  to  sacrifice  her  affection  and  happiness  for  her 
lover's  sake,  and  returns  alone  to  Paris,  whither  Alfred, 
overwhelmed  with  despair  on  discovering  her  flight, 
follows  her. 

In  the  next  scene  we  are  transported  to  a  salon  in 
the  hotel  of  Flora,  one  of  Violetta's  former  friends, 
during  a  festival  given  by  the  fair  mistress  of  the  man- 
sion. There  Alfred  again  meets  Violetta,  now  under 
the  protection  of  the  Baron  Douphol ;  and  being  una- 
ware of  the  generous  motive  which  made  her  desert 
him,  he  overwhelms  her  with  reproaches,  and  flings  the 
miniature  she  had  given  him  at  her  feet,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  company.  Degraded  and  heart-broken,  the 
unfortunate  Violetta  returns  home  to  die ;  and  in  the 
last  act  we  find  the  sad  romance  of  her  life  drawing  to 
its  close. 

Alfred  learns  the  truth  of  the  sacrifice  she  has  made 
to  secure  his  happiness.  Overwhelmed  with  grief  and 
shame,  he  hastens,  with  his  father,  to  comfort  and  con- 
sole her,  and  to  offer  her  his  hand  and  name  in  repara- 
tion of  the  wrong  he  has  done  her  ;  but  too  late  !  One 
gleam  of  happiness,  the  purest  and  brightest  she  has 
known,  gilds  the  closing  moments  of  her  life.  She 
dies,  exclaiming,  "  I  have  returned  to  life  !  O  happi- 
ness !  " 

The  original  story,  by  Alexandre  Dumas  the  younger, 
from  which  the  opera  is  taken,  is  entitled  "  La  Dame 
aux  Camelias."  It  has  been  also  dramatized  under  the 
name  of  "  Camille." 


1 78 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


151.    MICHAEL  ANGELO'S  MASTERPIECES. 

Michael  Angelo's  masterpiece  in  painting  is  consid- 
ered to  be  the  cartoon  of  a  battle  designed  for  the 
great  hall  of  the  Palazzo  Vecchio,  where  Leonardo  had 
been  already  engaged  in  painting. 

It  is  called  "The  Instant  before  the  Battle;"  and  the 
scene  represents  the  soldiers,  who  are  bathing  in  the 
Arno  without  a  thought  of  impending  danger,  suddenly 
summoned  to  arms  by  the  trumpet-call. 

The  unexpected  surprise  and  the  varied  efforts  of  the 
men  to  hurry  on  their  clothes,  to  seize  their  arms,  and 
to  hasten  to  the  fight,  are  brought  out  in  such  a  mas- 
terly manner,  that,  when  the  picture  was  completed,  it 
excited  the  admiration  of  all  the  artist's  contemporaries, 
and  quite  cast  Leonardo's  work  into  the  shade.  Michael 
Angelo  had  just  completed  his  twelve  years'  study  of 
anatomy,  and  over  this  cartoon  showed  more  enthusi- 
asm than  over  any  succeeding  work,  exclaiming  with 
wild  energy,  "  I  have  triumphed  !  " 

This  cartoon  was  stolen  or  destroyed  between  the 
years  15 12  and  15 17.  Bandinelli  is  accused  by  Vasari 
of  the  crime  of  having  maliciously  cut  Michael  Angelo's 
cartoon  when  the  Duke  Giuliano  was  in  a  dying  state ; 
and,  as  no  one  had  time  to  take  note  of  it,  the  pieces 
were  lost.  Condivi  simply  says  the  cartoon  was  lost,  it 
is  not  known  how. 

This  cartoon  and  several  works  of  sculpture  exe- 
cuted the  same  year,  1505,  so  added  to  Michael  Ange- 
lo's fame,  that  he  was  invited  to  Rome  by  Pope  Julius 
II.,  and  shortly  after  received  the  order  to  paint  the 
Sistine  Chapel. 

The  ceiling  of  this  chapel,  completed  in  15 12, 
is  the  most  complete  of  all  the  works  extant  of  this 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


179 


master,  and  the  grandest  monument  of  painting  of  any 
age. 

In  sculpture  Michael  Angelo's  masterpiece  is  his 
"  Moses." 

Grimm  says,  "The  'Moses'  is  the  crown  of  modem 
sculpture."  .  .  .  "Whoever  has  once  seen  this  statue 
must  retain  the  impression  of  it  forever." 

It  is  one  of  the  colossal  figures  designed  by  Michael 
Angelo  for  the  mausoleum  of  Julius  II.,  and  is  now  to 
be  seen  in  the  Church  of  St.  Pietro  in  Vincoli. 

It  stood  in  Michael  Angelo's  workshop  for  over  forty 
years  ;  and  a  crack  in  one  knee  is  thus  accounted  for,  — 
that  the  master,  so  deeply  impressed  himself  with  the 
lifelike  appearance  of  the  statue  when  completed,  rushed 
up,  and,  striking  it  vehemently  with  his  hammer,  ex- 
claimed, "  Speak  to  me  !  "  thus  in  one  moment  marring 
the  crowning  work  of  a  lifetime. 


152.    CONVERSION  OF  LIGHT  INTO  SOUND. 

The  invention  of  the  photophone  is  based  upon  a 
property  recently  found  to  exist  in  selenium.  The  ac- 
tion of  light  upon  that  substance  causes  certain  molecu- 
lar changes  that  affect  the  ear  as  sound :  in  brief,  it 
causes  the  conversion  of  light  into  sound. 

The  most  simple  photophone  used  consists  of  a  small 
mirror  of  silvered  mica,  suspended  vertically.  Upon 
the  front  of  this  mirror  is  thrown,  by  means  of  a  lens, 
a  concentrated  beam  of  sunlight ;  and  by  means  of  a 
second  lens  the  ray  is  reflected  upon  a  piece  of  sele- 
nium at  a  distance  of  seven  hundred  feet.  Here  the 
curious  property  of  selenium  comes  into  play.  Its  re- 
sistance varies  with  the  intensity  of  the  light ;  and  this 


i  So 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


changeable  resistance  produces  sound,  which  can  be 
conveyed  along  the  beam  of  light  by  placing  a  speaker 
behind  the  mirror. 

All  motions  may  be  transmitted  along  the  beam  of 
light,  and  will  then  affect  the  ear  as  sounds,  even  though 
the  movements  themselves  are  inaudible. 

In  still  other  forms  of  the  photophone,  even  a  silent 
motion  or  the  burning  of  a  candle  will  -act  as  sounds. 
The  shadow  of  any  object  in  the  light  of  the  candle 
will  produce  an  audible  effect. 

The  photophone  is  in  only  its  experimental  stage,  but 
there  is  no  doubt  of  its  being  used  eventually  to  convey 
information  by  means  of  a  beam  of  light. 


153.    TARA'S  HALL. 

In  the  year  A.D.  544  the  ancient  hall  of  Tara  saw 
for  the  last  time  the  kings  and  nobles  of  Ireland  assem- 
bled within  its  walls. 

For  many  centuries  the  Triennial  Councils  of  the 
nation  of  Ireland  had  been  held  there,  and  the  cause  of 
the  desertion  of  the  time-honored  seat  of  legislation 
shows  to  what  an  enormous  height  the  ecclesiastical 
power  had  risen. 

A  criminal,  who  had  fled  to  the  sanctuary  of  the 
monastery  of  St.  Ruan,  was  forcibly  dragged  thence  to 
Tara's  Hall,  and  put  to  death.  The  holy  abbot  and  his 
monks  cried  aloud  against  the  sacrilegious  violation  ; 
and,  proceeding  in  solemn  procession  to  the  palace,  they 
pronounced  a  curse  upon  its  walls.  "  From  that  day," 
says  the  annalist,  "  no  king  ever  again  sat  at  Tara." 

A  striking  memorial  of  the  Church's  triumph  on  this 
occasion  was  preserved  in  the  name  of  distinction  given 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


181 


to  the  monastery,  which  was  ever  after,  in  memory  of 
this  malediction,  called  "  The  Monastery  of  the  Curses 
of  Ireland." 

Thomas  Moore,  the  famous  Irish  poet  (i 779-1 852), 
in  one  of  his  "Irish  melodies,"  alludes  to  it  thus :  — 

"The  harp  that  once  through  Tara's  halls 

The  soul  of  music  shed, 
Now  hangs  as  mute  on  Tara's  walls 

As  if  that  soul  were  fled. 
So  sleeps  the  pride  of  former  days, 

So  glory's  thrill  is  o'er, 
And  hearts,  that  once  beat  high  for  praise, 

Now  feel  that  pulse  no  more. 

No  more  to  chiefs  and  ladies  bright 

The  harp  of  Tara  swells  : 
The  chord  alone,  that  breaks  at  night, 

Its  tale  of  ruin  tells. 
Thus  Freedom  now  so  seldom  wakes, 

The  only  throb  she  gives, 
Is  when  some  heart  indignant  breaks, 

To  show  that  still  she  lives." 


154.    "UTOPIAN  SCHEMES." 

Any  schemes,  whether  of  national  improvement  or 
of  social  operation,  founded  on  impractical  or  visionary 
views,  are  termed  Utopian. 

Sir  Thomas  More,  in  writing  his  curious  philosophi- 
cal work,  "  Utopia,"  added  a  new  word  to  the  English 
language,  and  delineated  his  ideas  of  a  perfect  common- 
wealth. Utopia,  from  the  Greek,  means  "no  place." 
On  the  imaginary  island  of  Utopia  in  the  Atlantic 
Ocean,  he  places  a  people  governed  on  the  principle 
that  no  one  shall  have  a  right  to  separate  property. 
Here  all  are  contented  with  the  necessaries  of  life,  all 


182 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


are  employed  in  useful  labor,  and  no  man  desires  in 
clothing  any  other  quality  than  durability. 

Since  wants  are  few,  and  every  individual  engages  in 
labor,  there  is  no  need  for  them  to  work  more  than  six 
hours  per  day.  Neither  laziness  nor  avarice  finds  a 
place  in  this  happy  region ;  for  why  should  the  people 
be  indolent  when  they  have  so  little  toil,  or  greedy 
when  they  know  there  is  an  abundance  for  all  ? 

It  is,  however,  difficult  to  determine  whether  the 
opinions  expressed  in  "  Utopia "  are  to  be  considered 
as  More's  real  sentiments.  The  book  is  written  in 
Latin,  and  was  first  published  at  Louvain  in  1516:  it 
has  been  translated  into  English  by  Robinson,  Bishop 
Burnet,  and  A.  Cayley. 


155.   THE  PORTLAND,  OR  BARBERINI,  VASE. 

This  vase,  now  in  the  British  Museum,  was  discovered 
about  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century. 

It  was  found  enclosed  in  a  beautiful  marble  sarcopha- 
gus within  a  sepulchral  chamber.  This  chamber  is 
supposed  to  be  the  tomb  of  the  Emperor  Alexander 
Severus  and  his  mother,  Julia  Mammoa :  it  is  under 
the  Monte  del  Grano,  two  and  one-half  miles  from 
Rome,  on  the  road  to  Frascati. 

The  vase  was  deposited  in  the  palace  of  the  Barberini 
family  in  Rome,  and  remained  there  until  1770,  when 
it  was  purchased  by  Byers  the  antiquarian,  and  sold  by 
him  to  Sir  William  Hamilton,  who  carried  it  to  England. 

The  vase  was  purchased  from  Sir  William  Hamilton 
by  the  Duchess  of  Portland  for  the  sum  of  eighteen 
hundred  guineas,  and  was  placed  in  her  museum  at  the 
Priory  Gardens,  Whitehall,  London. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


In  1810  the  Duke  of  Portland  deposited  it  in  the 
British  Museum. 

On  Feb.  7,  1845,  the  vase  was  wantonly  dashed  to 
pieces  by  William  Lloyd,  a  mechanic  visiting  the  mu- 
seum, who  is  supposed  to  have  been  drunk  or  insane 
at  the  time.  He  took  for  his  missile  one  of  the  Baby- 
lonian bricks  then  on  exhibition. 

He  was  tried  for  the  offence,  but,  on  account  of  a 
defect  in  the  law,  was  fined  only  three  pounds  for 
destroying  the  glass  shade  covering  the  vase,  which 
belonged  to  the  trustees  of  the  museum. 

The  pieces  of  the  vase  were  gathered  up,  and  so  skil- 
fully rejoined  by  Mr.  Doubleday,  that  the  vase  is  almost 
as  perfect  as  ever. 

A  drawing  of  the  fractured  pieces  hangs  near  the  vase, 
which  is  now  (1873)  kept  in  the  centre  of  what  is  called 
the  Gold  Room,  a  small  room  lighted  by  a  glass  dome. 

In  order  to  give  visitors  a  view  of  both  sides  of  the 
vase,  it  is  made  to  revolve  by  means  of  a  key  in  the 
hands  of  a  special  guard,  who  has  constant  charge  of 
the  vase,  and  receives  a  salary  for  this  alone. 

The  Portland  Vase  is  9.75  inches  in  height,  and  7.25 
inches  in  diameter,  and  has  two  handles. 

It  is  made  of  indigo-colored  glass,  ornamented  with 
opaque  white  figures. 

The  dark  ground  of  the  vase,  below  the  welding  of 
the  handles,  has  been  covered  with  white  enamel,  out 
of  which  the  figures  were  sculptured  in  the  style  of  a 
cameo. 

The  Portland  Vase  proves  that  the  manufacture  of 
glass  was  carried  to  a  high  state  of  perfection  in  early 
times.  It  is  supposed  to  be  the  work  of  a  Greek  artist 
residing  in  Rome,  and  some  antiquarians  date  its  pro- 
duction several  centuries  B.C. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


While  this  beautiful  work  of  art  was  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  Barberini  family,  a  mould  of  it  was  taken  by 
Tassie,  who  afterwards  destroyed  the  mould.  Cipriani 
and  Bartolozzi  made  engravings  of  the  vase  in  1786. 

The  Barberini,  or  Portland,  Vase  will  always  be  close- 
ly connected  with  the  name  of  Wedgwood,  as  showing 
what  the  potter's  art  can  effect.  When  this  vase  was 
put  up  at  auction  by  Sir  William  Hamilton,  Wedg- 
wood was  very  desirous  of  buying  it  as  a  pattern  from 
which  to  manufacture  copies.  The  Duchess  of  Port- 
land bid  for  it ;  but  Wedgwood  bid  against  her  with 
such  pertinacity,  that  it  attracted  the  duke's  attention, 
who,  when  he  knew  the  cause  of  Wedgwood's  solici- 
tude, offered  him  the  loan  of  the  vase  for  an  indefinite 
period  if  he  would  terminate  his  biddings.  He  did  so, 
and  the  vase  became  the  property  of  the  Duchess  of 
Portland.  , 

Wedgwood  thereupon  employed  the  finest  modellers, 
including  Flaxman  the  great  sculptor,  also  the  most 
talented  workmen  in  every  branch,  through  whose  aid 
he  produced  fifty  copies  of  the  vase,  which  were  sold  to 
subscribers  at  fifty  guineas  each. 

Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  bore  testimony  to  the  beautiful 
execution  of  these  copies. 

One  of  these  stands  in  a  case  near  the  Gold  Room  in 
the  British  Museum. 

Although  the  house  of  Wedgwood  has  made  many 
vases  resembling  the  Portland  Vase,  yet  these  exact 
copies,  called  "  original  copies,"  are  very  expensive,  and 
very  difficult  to  procure. 

Mr.  Benjamin  Jones  of  Pittsburg  obtained  one  of 
these  original  Wedgwood  copies  through  James  K. 
Kerr  &  Bros,  of  Philadelphia  in  1871,  for  a  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars.     In  1874  Mr.  Kerr  wrote,  offering 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


I85 


three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  the  vase ;  and  in 
1876  he  offered  five  hundred  dollars  for  it,  to  resell  to 
some  person  who  desired  an  original  copy ;  but  it  is 
still  in  Mr.  Jones's  possession. 

In  1877  another  reproduction  of  the  celebrated  vase 
was  accomplished  by  Mr.  John  Northwood. 

Extract  from  "Art  Journal,"  April,  1877. 

"  One  of  the  most  exquisitely  beautiful  achievements,  not  only 
of  the  glass-cutter's,  but  the  glass-maker's,  art  ever  accomplished 
in  this  country,  is  the  magnificent  reproduction  of  the  Portland,  or 
Barberini,  Vase  just  completed  by  Mr.  John  Northwood.  To  this 
it  is  with  special  and  genuine  pleasure  we  desire  to  call  attention. 

"Of  the  history  of  the  original  Portland  Vase,  dating  back,  as  it 
does,  to  about  the  time  of  Christ,  and  confessedly  standing  out  as 
the  most  valuable  and  perfectly  unique  of  its  particular  art  extant, 
it  is  not  our  intention  to  speak :  we  desire  only  to  place  on  record 
our  opinion  of  the  modern  production  of  this  priceless  gem,  and  to 
congratulate  our  own  nation  on  having  produced  an  artist  capable 
of  so  vying  in  every  intricacy  of  the  process  with  the  most  famous 
workers  of  glass  in  ancient  Greek  or  Roman  times. 

"The  vase,  which,  thanks  to  its  liberal-minded  owner,  Mr.  Philip 
Pargeter,  we  have  had  the  opportunity  of  carefully  examining,  is 
decidedly  a  chef-d" oeuvre  of  art,  and  is  without  a  fault,  even  in  its 
simple  and  unimportant  parts.  It  is  literally  a  reproduction  of  the 
Portland  Vase,  of  the  same  size,  and  in  the  same  material  (glass), 
and  effected  in  the  same  manner,  actual  hand-cutting  in  every  part. 
Every  leaf  and  stem,  each  detail  of  figure,  and  every  minute  por- 
tion of  the  original,  have  been  literally  copied  in  hard  glass,  cut  by 
the  graver,  not  by  the  wheel;  and  the  result  is  satisfactory  in  the 
highest  degree. 

"The  vase  was  itself  manufactured  by  Mr.  Pargeter,  who  after 
numberless  trials,  and  much  patient  thought,  succeeded  in  imitat- 
ing the  full  rich  blue  of  the  original.  This  he  coated  to  a  sufficient 
and  considerable  thickness  with  opal  glass,  closely  and  faultlessly 
welded  to  the  body.  This  was  a  matter  of  great  difficulty ;  but  Mr. 
Pargeter's  indomitable  energy  and  skill  overcame  all  obstacles,  and 
the  vase  was  at  length  ready  for  Mr.  Northwood  to  operate  upon. 
His  mode  of  proceeding  was  to  cut  away  by  hand,  with  chisels  and 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


gravers,  the  opal,  and  carve  upon  it  the  entire  designs  of  the  origi- 
nal. This,  there  is  no  doubt,  was  the  process  employed  on  the 
original  by  the  '  verrier '  nearly  two  thousand  years  back  ;  and  it  was 
only  by  closely  following  this  mode  of  operation  patiently,  slowly, 
and  surely,  that  Mr.  Northwood  could  hope  to  succeed  in  his  self- 
imposed  task.  For  the  entire  ground  of  the  design,  the  opal  has 
been  chiselled  away,  and  the  surface  of  the  blue-black  glass  pol- 
ished ;  while  the  figures,  trees,  etc.,  composing  the  design,  are  left 
in  relief  in  the  opal,  and  carved  with  consummate  skill  and  unap- 
proachable delicacy.  In  the  higher,  and,  of  course,  thicker,  parts, 
the  opal  retains  its  intense  whiteness,  while  in  others  only  a  thin 
film  is  allowed  to  remain ;  and  thus  the  softest  and  most  delicate 
graduations  of  color  are  obtained.  Mr.  Northwood  has  devoted 
three  entire  years  with  unceasing  daily  work  to  the  production  of 
this  inestimable  treasure,  and  he  has  had  the  advantage  of  special 
facilities  granted  by  the  museum  authorities  for  actually  carving 
the  glass  in  front  of  the  original.  It  is,  as  we  have  said,  a  perfect 
masterpiece  of  art,  as  unique  and  as  valuable  as  its  ancient  proto- 
type. We  know  of  nothing  in  modern  times  that  will  compare 
with  it." 


156.    THE  ERAS  B.C.  AND  A.D. 

This  system  of  chronology  was  invented  by  Diony- 
sius  Exigisus  about  A.D.  532. 

It  was  ordered  to  be  adopted  by  the  bishops  assem- 
bled at  the  Council  of  Chelsea  in  816,  but  it  was  not 
generally  used  until  several  centuries  later. 

Charles  III.  of  Germany  was  the  first  who  added 
"In  the  year  of  our  Lord"  ("Anno  Domini")  to  his 
reign  (879). 

It  is  now  held  that  Christ  was  born  four  years  earlier 
than  the  era  A.D.  Christmas,  or  the  festival  of  Christ's 
nativity,  was  first  observed  in  the  year  A.D.  98. 

January  1st  of  the  year  A.D.  1  corresponds  to  the 
middle  of  the  149th  Olympiad,  the  753d  year  of  the 
building  of  Rome,  Anno  Urbis  Conditae  (A.U.C.),  and 
the  year  4714  of  the  Julian  period  since  the  creation. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS.  18/ 
157.    THE  AMAZONS. 

The  ancients  enumerate  three  nations  of  Amazons, 
or  female  warriors. 

First,  the  African,  under  their  queen,  Myrina,  extir- 
pated by  Hercules. 

Second,  the  Asiatic,  the  most  famous  nation  of  all, 
who  founded  an  extensive  empire  along  the  shores 
of  the  Euxine,  or  Black  Sea.  Themiscyra  was  their 
capital. 

About  the  year  330  B.C.,  their  queen,  Thalestris, 
made  a  visit  to  Alexander  of  Macedon,  soon  after  which 
time  the  Asiatic  Amazons  disappear  from  history. 

Third,  the  Scythian  Amazons,  a  distinct  branch  of 
the  Asiatic.  They  attacked  the  neighboring  Scythians, 
but  soon  after  married  among  them,  and  lost  their  iden- 
tity as  a  separate  nation. 

As  a  nation  of  warlike  women,  the  Amazons  appear 
in  legend  as  early  as  the  time  of  Homer.  They  are 
frequently  represented  in  Greek  art. 

Pliny  relates  that  a  prize  was  offered  to  that  one  of 
four  celebrated  sculptors  —  Phidias,  Polycletus,  Phrad- 
mon,  and  Cresilas  —  who  should  represent  the  most 
beautiful  Amazon. 

The  Amazon  of  Polycletus  won  the  prize.  It  was  of 
bronze,  and  stood  in  the  Temple  of  Artemis  at  Ephesus. 

The  Amazon  of  Phidias  was  represented  as  resting, 
or  leaning,  upon  her  spear. 

Cresilas  represented  a  wounded  Amazon. 

Phradmon  represented  an  Amazon  resting  after  a 
battle,  and  laying  aside  her  bow,  shield,  battle-axe,  and 
helmet. 

We  still  possess  a  number  of  Amazon  statues,  of 
which  some  are  supposed  to  be  marble  imitations  of  the 


188 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


renowned  statues  of  Polycletus  and  of  Cresilas.  One 
is  to  be  seen  in  the  Vatican  collection,  and  one  in  the 
Berlin  Museum. 


158.    LEGEND  OF  "THE  ISLAND  OF  SEVEN  CITIES.'' 

This  legend  was  one  of  the  popular  traditions  current 
at  the  time  of  Columbus. 

It  relates,  that,  at  the  conquest  of  Spain  and  Portu- 
gal by  the  Moors,  the  inhabitants  fled  in  every  direction 
to  escape  from  slavery.  Seven  bishops,  followed  by 
a  large  number  of  people,  took  ships,  and  abandoned 
themselves  to  their  fate  upon  the  high-seas.  After 
tossing  about  for  some  time,  they  landed  on  an  island  in 
the  midst  of  the  ocean. 

The  bishops  burned  the  ships,  to  prevent  desertion 
on  the  part  of  their  followers,  and  founded  seven  cities 
on  the  island. 

This  mysterious  island  is  said  to  have  been  visited 
by  navigators,  who,  however,  were  never  permitted  to 
leave  it. 

It  was  said  to  abound  in  gold,  and  to  have  had  many 
magnificent  houses  and  temples  and  high  towers,  which 
shone  at  a  great  distance. 


159.    KIT-CAT  PICTURES. 

This  name  is  applied  to  portraits  (half-length  figure) 
painted  on  canvas,  thirty-six  by  twenty-three  inches, 
called  kit-cat  size. 

The  term  originated  in  the  fact  that  Sir  Godfrey 
Kneller,  a  celebrated  painter  of  the  early  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  executed  forty-two  portraits  of  mem- 
bers of  the  Kit-Cat  Club  in  this  uniform  size.  Accord- 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


ing  to  Defoe,  the  name  of  this  club  was  derived  from 
Kit  (or  Christopher)  Cat,  in  whose  house  the  Club  held 
its  meetings.  This  association  was  instituted  in  Lon- 
don in  1703,  and  consisted  of  noblemen  and  gentlemen 
favorable  to  the  succession  of  the  House  of  Hanover, 
but  whose  ostensible  object  was  the  encouragement  of 
literature  and  the  fine  arts. 

•  Among  its  members  were  Addison,  Steele,  Walpole, 
Marlborough,  Sir  Godfrey  Kneller,  etc.  The  club  was 
dissolved  in  1720,  previous  to  which  each  of  the  mem- 
bers presented  his  portrait,  as  above  mentioned,  to 
Jacob  Tonson,  an  eminent  publisher,  who  was  the 
founder  and  secretary  of  the  club. 

These  interesting  portraits  are  now  in  the  possession 
of  Mr.  W.  R.  Baker,  Hertfordshire,  England. 


160.    NICCOLO  MACHIAVELLI. 

This  greatest  of  Florentine  statesmen  was  born  in 
Florence  in  1469,  of  an  ancient  though  not  wealthy 
family. 

He  was  through  life  a  zealous  Republican,  and  suf- 
fered imprisonment  and  torture  in  the  cause  of  lib- 
erty. 

In  1532,  after  the  death  of  Machiavelli,  was  pub- 
lished the  book  which  has  clothed  his  name  with  oblo- 
quy. "The  Prince"  was  not  written  for  publication, 
but  for  the  private  study  of  the  Medici,  and  to  commend 
Machiavelli  to  them  by  proving  how  thoroughly  he  was 
master  of  the  art  and  craft  of  Italian  statesmanship, 
which  was  exhibited  in  the  absolute  and  tyrannical  rule 
of  the  Prince  over  the  people. 

"The  Prince"  was  published  under  the  sanction  of 


190 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Pope  Clement  VII. ;  but  a  few  years  later,  at  the  Council 

of  Trent,  it  was  accounted  "an  accursed  book."  It  is  a 
code  of  policy ;  yet  honesty,  as  the  best  policy,  was  un- 
known to  a  diplomatist  of  the  fifteenth  or  sixteenth  cen- 
tury. Hence,  to  be  a  "  true  disciple  of  Machiavelli," 
is  an  epithet  for  a  knave ;  and  Butler  says  in  "  Hudi- 
bras,"  — 

"  Nick  Machiavel  had  ne'er  a  trick, 
Though  he  gave  his  name  to  our  old  Nick." 


161.    THE  QUEEN  OF  ENGLAND  WHO  DIED  OF  A 
BROKEN  HEART. 

The  death  of  Caroline  of  Brunswick,  wife  of  George 
IV.  of  England,  has  been  attributed  to  a  broken  heart ; 
although  there  were  many  other  things  which  conspired 
with  this  to  bring  her  to  her  end.  As  Prince  of  Wales, 
the  king  had  married  her  under  the  pressure  of  debt, 
having  never  seen  her  before  the  contract,  made  at  the 
instigation  of  his  father,  George  III.  He  immediately 
conceived,  and  steadfastly  maintained,  a  great  aversion 
for  her.  He  had  her  name  erased  from  the  liturgy  of 
the  Established  Church,  and  then  attempted  to  obtain 
a  divorce,  which  was  refused  him  by  Parliament. 

The  Prince  had  been  regent  several  times  during 
the  seclusion  of  his  father,  George  III.,  and  finally  for 
several  years  before  he  succeeded  to  the  throne  as  king 
in  1 82 1.  When  the  day  of  his  coronation  arrived,  his 
wife,  although  she  had  received  no  summons,  went  in 
state  to  Westminster  Abbey,  to  be  crowned  with  him, 
but  was  forcibly  refused  admission  :  she  returned  home, 
and  died  within  a  month,  partially  at  least  of  a  broken 
heart,  Aug.  7,  1821. 

She  had  previously  ordered  that  her  body  should  be 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


I9I 


taken  to  her  native  country,  and  deposited  in  the  tomb 
of  her  ancestors,  with  the  inscription, — 

"HERE  LIES 

CAROLINE  OF  BRUNSWICK, 

THE  MURDERED  QUEEN  OF  ENGLAND." 

Although  we  cannot  admire  the  conduct  and  life  of 
Queen  Caroline,  her  husband  treated  her  from  the  be- 
ginning in  a  brutal  manner,  and  left  her,  unprotected 
and  uncounseled,  to  a  vagrant  life,  which  was  full  of 
temptations  and  desperate  defiance. 


162.    THE  HEROES  OF  THE  "  NIBELUNGENLIED." 

The  "  Nibelungenlied,"  called  the  German  Iliad,  has 
for  its  heroes  some  of  the  most  universally  popular  per- 
sonages of  the  semi-historic  myths  of  mediaeval  German 
folk-lore;  viz.,  Siegfried,  King  of  the  Netherlands; 
Gunther,  King  of  Burgundy;  Brunhild,  Queen  of  Ice- 
land; Kreimhild,  sister  of  Gunther,  and  wife  of  Sieg- 
fried; E[agan  of  Norway;  Dietrich  (Theodoric  the 
Great),  King  of  the  Ostrogoths ;  Etzel  (Attila),  King  of 
the  Huns. 

The  name  of  this  epic  poem  of  Germany  is  derived 
from  Nebelungen,  a  mythical  king  of  Norway;  from 
Nebel  (darkness),  and  means  the  children  of  mist  or 
darkness.  There  are  two  versions  of  this  strange  story, 
— a  Northern  one  made  in  heathen  times,  and  a  German 
one  in  Christian  days.  The  story  is  divided  into  two 
parts,  the  first  ending  with  the  death  of  Siegfried,  the 
second  with  the  death  of  Kreimhild  his  widow.  There 
are  twenty  or  more  existing  manuscripts  of  this  poem, 
the  earliest  dating  A.D.  1 2 10. 


192 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


The  author  is  unknown  ;  but  to  Heinrich  von  Ofter- 
dingen,  a  minnesinger  of  Austria,  is  ascribed  the  credit 
of  putting  ancient  lays  into  the  form  of  a  continued 
story  „  The  loves  and  feuds  and  stormy  lives  of  these 
national  heroes  are  made  to  centre  around  what  is  called 
"The  Nibelungen  Hoard,"  a  mass  of  gold  and  precious 
stones  which  Siegfried  carried  off  from  Norway,  and 
gave  as  a  marriage  dower  to  his  wife,  and  which  is  said 
to  have  filled  thirty  wagons. 

After  the  murder  of  Siegfried,  Hagan,  his  murderer, 
is  said  to  have  secretly  buried  this  vast  treasure  beneath 
the  Rhine,  expecting  later  to  remove  and  use  it. 
Hagan,  however,  being  murdered  by  Kriemhild  in  re- 
venge for  the  death  of  her  husband,  "The  Hoard '* 
was  never  recovered.  This  tale  kept  a  firm  hold  upon 
the  imaginations  of  the  German  people  from  the  thir- 
teenth to  the  sixteenth  century,  when  the  Reformation 
caused  this  and  many  other  of  the  folk-lore  to  be  lost 
sight  of  and  almost  forgotten.  It  was  not  until  the 
nineteenth  century  that  the  value  of  it  in  an  historical 
point  was  recognized. 

Longfellow,  in  his  "Poets  and  Poetry  of  Europe," 
says,  — 

"  This  great  romantic  epic  is  a  poem  well  calculated  to  rouse 
the  enthusiasm  of  a  people  like  the  Germans.  Nothing  can  exceed 
the  delight  with  which  that  old  poem  was  studied,  when,  within  the 
memory  of  man,  the  new-born  nationality  of  German  feeling  rose 
to  an  unexampled  pitch,  and  led  to  an  excess  of  admiration  for 
every  thing  that  belonged  to  German  antiquity,  which  is,  perhaps, 
without  a  parallel  in  modern  times.  The  enthusiasm  of  the  Ger- 
mans for  this  singular  poem  was  perfectly  natural.  They  did  not 
hesitate  to  compare  it  with  the  Iliad,  and  some  of  the  more  extrav- 
agant worshippers  of  the  Middle  Ages  ventured  to  place  it  even 
higher  than  the  old  Greek  epic.  This,  however,  is  a  claim  which 
the  cooler  opinions  of  the  present  time  reject.    With  all  its  ex- 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS, 


193 


traordinary  merits  of  impersonation  and  description,  its  fiery  utter- 
ances of  passion,  its  elaborate  arrangement  and  combination,  its 
genuine  epic  sweep  of  incident  and  language,  it  falls  far  below  the 
Iliad  in  variety,  consistency,  just  proportion,  and  completeness, 
and  in  melody  of  verse.  The  German  language  of  the  twelfth  and 
thirteenth  centuries  is  not  to  be  compared  with  the  richness,  grace, 
and  plastic  beauty  of  the  Greeks,  as  it  flowed  from  the  harmonious 
lips  of  Homer." 


163.    THE  VATICAN. 

The  Vatican  at  Rome  is  a  collection  of  buildings 
erected  at  various  times  and  for  different  purposes, 
consisting  of  the  papal  residence,  a  library,  and  a  mui 
seum. 

The  first  residence  of  the  popes  was  erected  by  St. 
Symmachus  (498-514).  This  ancient  palace,  having 
fallen  into  decay  during  the  twelfth  century,  was  rebuilt 
in  the  thirteenth  by  Innocent  III.,  and  greatly  enlarged 
by  Nicholas  III.  (1277-1281) ;  but  the  Lateran  contin- 
ued to  be  the  papal  residence ;  and  the  Vatican  palace 
was  used  only  on  state  occasions,  and  for  the  reception 
of  any  foreign  sovereigns  visiting  Rome. 

While  the  popes  resided  in  Avignon,  France,  1309 
t0  I377>  tne  Lateran  palace  fell  into  decay:  and,  for 
the  sake  of  greater  security  afforded  by  the  vicinity  of  the 
fortress  of  St.  Angelo,  it  was  determined  to  make 
the  pontifical  residence  at  the  Vatican ;  and  the  first 
conclave  was  held  there  in  1378.  The  length  of  the 
Vatican  palace  is  1,151  English  feet;  its  breadth,  767 
feet.  It  has  eight  grand  staircases,  twenty  courts,  and 
is  said  to  contain  eleven  thousand  apartments  of  differ- 
ent sizes. 

The  small  portion  of  the  Vatican  inhabited  by  the 
Pope  is  never  seen  except  by  those  who  are  admitted  to 


194 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


a  special  audience.  Two  hundred  and  fifty-five  popes 
are  reckoned  from  St.  Peter  to  Pio  IX.  inclusive.  The 
library  of  the  Vatican  was  founded  by  the  early  popes, 
but  greatly  augmented  in  modern  times.  It  is  the 
oldest  and  most  celebrated  library  in  Europe. 

The  noble  hall  is  of  splendid  architectural  propor- 
tions, surrounded  by  an  immense  double  gallery,  the 
whole  adorned  with  frescoes,  busts,  statues,  and  col- 
umns ;  but  no  books  or  manuscripts  are  to  be  seen,  — 
they  are  all  enclosed  in  cabinets  of  painted  wood.  The 
number  of  printed  books  does  not  exceed  thirty  or  forty 
thousand  ;  but  the  collection  of  manuscripts  is  the  finest 
in  Europe,  and  is  said  to  amount  to  upwards  of  twenty- 
five  thousand. 

The  Museum  of  Art  is  the  finest  in  the  world. 
Among  its  paintings  are  several  of  the  most  famous 
paintings  of  the  old  masters :  it  contains  also  ten  thou- 
sand pieces  of  statuary,  yet  so  ample  is  the  space  that 
it  nowhere  appears  crowded. 


164.   RELICS  EXHIBITED  EVERY  SEVEN  YEARS  AT 
AIX-LA-CHAPELLE. 

The  treasury  of  the  cathedral  at  Aix-la-Chapelle  is 
rich  in  relics,  which  are  divided  into  the  Greater  and 
the  Lesser.  "  Les  Grandes  Reliques,"  which  are  ex- 
hibited only  cnce  in  seven  years,  from  the  10th  to  the 
24th  of  July,  were  presented  to  Charlemagne  by  the 
Patriarch  of  Jerusalem,  and  by  Haroun-al-Raschid. 
They  are  deposited  in  a  rich  shrine  of  silver  gilt  (the 
work  of  the  artists  of  the  ninth  century),  and  are,  — 

First,  The  robe  worn  by  the  Virgin  at  the  Nativity : 
it  is  of  cotton,  five  feet  long. 

Second,  The  swaddling-clothes  of  the  infant  Saviour. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


195 


Third,  The  cloth  on  which  the  head  of  John  the 
Baptist  was  laid. 

Fourth,  The  scarf  worn  by  the  Saviour  at  the  cruci- 
fixion. 

Intermingled  with  these  are  many  curious  antique 
gems  and  some  Babylonian  cylinders,  and  this  is  con- 
sidered by  the  faithful  the  richest  collection  of  relics  to 
be  seen  anywhere. 

The  Lesser  relics  are, — the  skull  of  Charlemagne, 
his  arm  or  leg  bone,  and  his  hunting-horn,  which  are 
enclosed  in  a  casket  of  gold  and  silver ;  also  a  locket 
containing  some  of  the  Virgin's  hair ;  a  piece  of  the 
true  cross  ;  the  leathern  girdle  of  Christ ;  the  cord  with 
which  he  was  bound ;  a  nail  of  the  cross ;  the  sponge 
which  was  filled  with  vinegar ;  some  of  the  bones  of 
St.  Stephen;  some  manna  from  the  wilderness ;  and  a 
piece  of  Aaron's  rod. 

It  was  upon  these  relics  that  the  emperors  of  Ger- 
many swore  at  their  coronation  until  1558,  after  which 
the  emperors  were  crowned  at  Frankfort. 


165.    "MOTHER  GOOSE." 

"  Mother  Goose"  was  a  real  character,  and  not  an 
imaginary  personage  as  has  been  supposed. 

Her  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Foster,  and  she  was 
born  in  1665. 

She  married  Isaac  Goose  in  1693,  and  a  few  years 
after  became  a  member  of  the  Old  South  Church,  Bos- 
ton, and  died  in  1757,  aged  ninety-two  years. 

The  first  edition  of  her  songs,  which  were  originally 
sung  to  her  grandchildren,  was  published  in  Boston  in 
1 716  by  her  son-in-law,  Thomas  Fleet. 


196  CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 

The  house  in  which  a  great  part  of  her  life  was  spent, 
was  a  low,  one-story  building,  with  dormer  windows, 
and  a  red-tiled  roof,  looking  something  like  an  old 
English  country  cottage. 


166.    AN  UNSUBDUED  PROVINCE  IN  TURKEY. 

Montenegro  is  a  little  principality  of  Turkey,  on  the 
eastern  shore  of  the  Adriatic,  the  independent  spirit 
and  heroism  of  whose  people  have  won  the  admiration 
of  the  whole  world.  It  contains  about  a  hundred  and 
thirty  thousand  inhabitants. 

The  territory  is  healthy ;  and  the  people  are  famous 
for  their  simple  manners,  vigorous  constitution,  and 
resolute  character. 

In  1476,  when  the  Byzantine  Empire  and  the  Greek 
Church  were  falling  on  all  sides  before  the  power  of  the 
conquering  Turks,  Montenegro  resolved  that  she  would 
never  surrender  her  liberty. 

A  law  was  enacted  at  that  time,  and  has  ever  since 
been  in  force,  that  any  Montenegran  who  should  in 
war  turn  his  back  to  the  Turks,  should  be  dressed  in 
woman's  clothes,  be  whipped  by  the  women,  and  then 
sent  beyond  the  territory,  never  to  return. 

The  Turks  have  never  been  able  to  subdue  Montene- 
gro. At  the  close  of  the  war  of  1876-78,  it  was  declared 
a  sovereign  principality  with  an  absolute  hereditary 
monarch. 


167.  HYPATIA. 

Hypatia,  the  heroine  of  Charles  Kingsley's  novel,  was 
the  daughter  of  Theon,  an  astronomer  and  mathema- 
tician of  Alexandria,  and  head  of  the  Neo-Platonic 
school. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


197 


She  was  born  in  the  latter  part  of  the  third  century, 
and  was  equally  remarkable  for  her  beauty,  her  wisdom, 
and  her  tragic  fate. 

She  succeeded  her  father  in  the  Chair  of  Philosophy 
at  Alexandria,  and  the  fame  of  her  lectures  drew  around 
her  students  from  all  parts  of  the  East. 

Her  teaching  was  Christian  in  spirit,  though  heathen 
in  form  and  limitation. 

The  citizens  of  Alexandria  were  proud  of  her;  and 
such  reliance  was  placed  upon  her  judgment,  that  the 
magistrates  of  the  city  used  frequently  to  consult  her 
upon  important  cases. 

At  this  time  Cyril  was  Bishop  of  Alexandria,  a  fierce 
hater  of  heathen  and  heretics. 

He  soon  cast  an  evil  eye  on  Hypatia,  whom  he  re- 
garded as  a  satanic  enchantress.  His  hatred  communi- 
cated itself  to  the  lower  clergy,  and  especially  to  certain 
savage  monks  from  the  Nitrian  desert,  who,  headed  by 
one  Peter,  a  reader,  attacked  Hypatia  in  the  street  as 
she  was  returning  from  her  lecture-room.  The  maiden 
was  dragged  from  her  chariot,  and  hurried  to  the  Cesa- 
rean Church,  where  she  was  murdered  with  tiles,  after 
which  she  was  torn  to  pieces,  and  her  limbs  were 
carried  to  a  place  called  Cindron,  and  there  burned  to 
ashes,  A.D.  415. 

With  her  the  Alexandrian  school  perished,  and  Ath- 
ens became  the  seat  of  learning. 


168.  ORATORIO. 

An  oratorio  is  a  composition  of  sacred  music,  the 
term  being  derived  from  the  Latin  word  oratorium  (an 
oratory  or  cell  for  prayer),  the  place  where  such  sacred 
compositions  were  originally  performed. 


igS 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


The  music  consists  of  recitatives,  arias,  duets,  trios, 
quartets,  and  choruses,  accompanied  by  instruments. 

Handel's  "  Messiah "  and  "  Israel  in  Egypt,"  Men- 
delssohn's "Elijah"  and  "  St.  Paul,"  and  Haydn's 
"  Creation,"  are  the  grandest  specimens  of  this  style  of 
music. 

Bach  wrote  five  oratorios,  called  Passions.  Of  the 
five,  only  three  exist ;  and  of  the  three,  only  two  are 
printed  and  accessible  ;  viz.,  "  The  Passion  according  to 
St.  John,"  and  that  " according  to  St.  Matthew:"  the 
latter  is  considered  the  author's  greatest  work. 

By  a  passion  is  meant  an  oratorio  which  has  for  its 
subject  the  occurrences  of  the  last  hours  of  the  life  of 
our  Saviour. 

It  has  been  the  custom  among  Protestant  churches 
in  Germany  to  perform  a  piece  of  music  on  high  festival 
days  in  keeping  with  the  religious  service  of  the  day, 
a  custom  probably  originating  in  the  "  Mysteries,"  or 
Miracle  Plays  (q.v.),  common  in  mediaeval  times. 

On  Good  Friday  the  History  of  the  Passion  and 
Death  of  the  Saviour  was  chosen  as  the  subject,  and 
the  narrative  of  one  of  the  evangelists  was  taken.  In 
these  compositions,  the  narrative  was  delivered  con- 
tinously  in  recitative  by  a  solo  voice ;  and  the  story  was 
interrupted  by  verses,  sung  by  the  congregation,  set  to 
those  Chorales  which  form  so  rich  and  interesting  a 
part  of  German  musical  literature. 

This  is  exactly  the  method  followed  in  the  earliest 
Passion  known,  the  date  of  which  is  1573. 

Changes  were  gradually  introduced  by  the  great  mas- 
ters of  the  German  school,  all  of  whom  tried  their 
highest  flights  in  Passion  music. 

But  the  Matthew  Passion  of  Bach  far  excels  any  of 
these  works  in  dramatic  power ;  and  it  would  be  perhaps 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


I99 


impossible  for  any  thing  to  be  acted  with  more  effect, 
if  the  solemn  nature  of  the  subject  did  not  forbid  such 
u  performance. 


169.    THE  MOST  CELEBRATED  MECHANICIAN  OF 
ANTIQUITY. 

Archimedes,  the  most  celebrated  mechanician  of  an- 
tiquity, was  born  in  Syracuse,  Sicily,  287  B.C.,  and 
died  212  B.C. 

He  was  so  far  in  advance  of  his  age,  that  his  princi- 
ples did  not  become  established  until  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury. He  invented  the  Archimedean  screw  applied  to 
drainage  and  irrigation,  and  also  explained  the  theory 
of  the  lever. 

He  discovered  what  is  known  as  the  law  of  specific 
gravity,  or  the  truth  that  any  body  weighs  just  as  much 
less  when  held  under  water  as  the  weight  of  the  water 
which  it  crowds  out  of  place. 

Hiero,  King  of  Syracuse,  having  suspected  a  gold- 
smith of  putting  some  other  metal  than  gold  in  his 
crown,  asked  Archimedes  to  ascertain  if  it  were  so. 
Archimedes,  while  thinking  over  the  matter  one  day, 
got  into  his  bath,  which  chanced  to  be  full  to  the  brim  ; 
and  he  saw  at  once,  that  as  much  water  must  run  over 
the  edge  of  the  tub  as  was  equal  to  the  bulk  or  size  of 
his  body.  He  then  saw,  that  if  he  put  the  crown  into 
a  vessel,  and  weighed  the  water  which  overflowed,  and 
then  tried  a  piece  of  pure  gold  equal  in  weight  to  the 
crown  in  the  same  way,  the  water  overflowed  by  the 
pure  gold  ought  to  equal  in  weight  that  of  the  crown 
if  it  also  were  of  pure  gold.  He  was  so  overjoyed  at 
this  discovery,  that  he  ran  home  without  waiting  to  put 
on  his  clothes,  crying  through  the  streets,  "  Eureka! 
Eureka  !  "    ("  I  have  found  it !    I  have  found  it  ! ") 


200 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


He  defended  his  native  Syracuse  against  the  Romans 
with  great  mechanical  skill,  inventing  machines  which 
lifted  their  ships  out  of  the  water,  and  let  them  drop 
with  so  much  force  that  they  sunk.  He  also  burned 
their  ships  by  concentrating  on  them  the  rays  of  the  sun 
with  mirrors.  The  most  celebrated  of  his  mathematical 
works  are  those  of  the  sphere  and  cylinder,  which  he 
requested  should  be  inscribed  upon  his  tombstone. 

When  Syracuse  was  taken,  a  Roman  soldier  entered 
his  studio,  and  found  him  so  busily  at  work,  that  he  did 
-  not  even  know  that  the  enemy  had  entered  the  gates. 
Marcellus,  the  Roman  general,  had  given  strict  orders 
to  his  soldiers  not  to  hurt  Archimedes,  and  had  offered 
a  reward  to  whoever  should  bring  him  safe  to  him. 
The  soldier  ordered  Archimedes  to  come  with  him ;  and, 
upon  his  refusing  to  do  so,  he  killed  him,  to  the  grief  of 
Marcellus,  who  ordered  for  Archimedes  an  honorable 
burial,  and  built  a  monument  over  his  grave  inscribed 
as  he  had  desired. 

It  was  Archimedes  who  declared,  that  if  he  could 
■find  a  lever  long  enough,  and  a  prop  strong  enough,  he 
could,  single-handed,  move  the  world. 


170.    FIRST  AND  LAST  KING  OF  JERUSALEM. 

Godfrey  de  Bouillon,  the  hero  of  the  first  Crusade, 
and  the  first  Christian  king  of  Jerusalem,  was  elected 
in  1099.  He,  however,  refused  to  be  crowned,  saying, 
"  I  cannot  wear  a  crown  of  gold  where  my  Saviour 
wore  a  crown  of  thorns ;  "  and  he  insisted  upon  taking 
simply  the  title  of  duke. 

This  man  is  the  hero  of  Tasso's  "  Jerusalem  Deliv- 
ered," and  figures  as  the  leader  of  Robert  and  Tancred 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


201 


and  Bohemond.  He  died  in  noo:  his  tomb  is  still 
pointed  out  in  Jerusalem,  near  the  Holy  Sepulchre, 
which  he  was  the  first  to  deliver  from  the  Saracens. 

Godfrey  de  Bouillon  was  the  founder  of  a  dynasty  of 
thirteen  Latin  kings,  nine  of  whom,  ending  with  Guy 
of  Lusignan,  reigned  in  Jerusalem  until  it  was  taken 
by  Saladin,  Oct.  2,  1 1 87. 

The  capture  of  the  city  by  Saladin  led  to  the  third 
Crusade,  but  it  was  never  retaken  by  the  Christians. 
The  remaining  kings  of  the  series  were  only  titular 
monarchs,  residing  elsewhere  in  Palestine. 


171.    SACRED  BOOKS. 

The  books  of  other  nations  corresponding  to  the 

Bible  are  as  follows  :  — 

_  (The  Kings. 

Chinese,    |The  Four  Books 

The  Vedas. 

East  Indians,  \  The  ePic  Poems  Rama>'a'la  and 
Mahabharata. 

The  Puranas. 

Eastern  Asiatics,  Pitikas. 

Persians,  Zend  Avesta,  —  a  liturgy. 

The  four  books  of  Kings. 

%  The  Book  of  the  Dead. 

Ancient  Greeks  (The  works  of  the  poets  Homer 

and  Romans,      \    and  Hesiod. 

Scandinavians,  The  Eddas. 

( The  Old  Testament. 
Jews,  |XheTalmucL 

Arabians,  Turks,  and  all 
other  Mohammedans, 


Egyptians, 


The  Koran. 


202 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


172.    GENRE  PICTURES. 

The  French  word  genre  signifies  "kind,"  and  is  there- 
fore employed  to  designate  a  special  kind  or  variety 
of  pictures.  Genre  painting  occupies  an  intermediate 
position  between  the  historical  picture  and  the  land- 
scape. 

In  the  historical  picture,  either  the  character  or  the 
situation  must  be  real.  In  genre  painting,  both  charac* 
ter  and  situation  may  be  invented,  but  must  have  his- 
torical significance.  It  originated  in  the  Netherlands. 
Joachim  Patenier  (1490-1550)  was  the  first  to  work  out 
the  background  on  which  the  Holy  Family  was  painted 
into  an  elaborate  landscape.  The  novelty  found  so 
much  favor,  that,  in  the  next  generation,  Henri  de  Bles 
could  place  an  unbiblical  event  in  the  landscape  with 
the  Holy  Family,  and  yet  sell  the  picture.  But  with 
Jacopo  da  Ponte  (15 10-1592),  a  disciple  of  Titian,  genre 
painting  was  born  with  all  its  principal  characteristics ; 
viz.,  figures  and  landscape  combined.  It  is  the  prevail- 
ing style  of  the  French  school  of  the  present  day;  and 
its  influence  has  been  felt  in  this  country,  where,  since 
the  middle  of  the  century,  American  painters  have,  for 
the  most  part,  devoted  their  attention  to  landscape  and 
genre.  Inman  was  the  first  to  attempt  it  with  suc- 
cess. 

The  chief  productions  of  Hogarth,  a  famous  English 
painter;  of  Wilkie,  a  famous  Scotch  painter;  of  Mul- 
ready,  a  famous  Irish  painter,  —  are  genre  pictures. 

"The  Village  Politicians,"  "Chelsea  Pensioners," 
"Reading  News  of  the  Battle  of  Waterloo,"  are  among 
Wilkie's  most  celebrated  genre  paintings.  He  was  ap- 
pointed painter  to  the  king  in  1836,  and  was  afterwards 
knighted. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


203 


In  genre  painting,  the  picturesque  is  as  important  an 
element  as  is  the  historical  significance. 

Historical  and  genre  paintings,  therefore,  stand  in  the 
same  relation  to  each  other  as  tragedy  does  to  comedy. 


173.    END  OF  ALCHEMY. 

Alchemy,  among  scientific  men  (at  least  in  England), 
came  to  an  end  with  the  last  act  of  a  tragedy ;  while  in 
Germany,  contrary  to  what  might  have  been  expected, 
it  disappeared  amidst  the  hilarious  laughter  of  a  comedy, 

James  Price,  a  distinguished  amateur  chemist,  and 
Fellow  of  the  Royal  Society  of  England,  imagined  that 
he  had  at  last  succeeded  in  compounding  a  powder  that 
would,  under  certain  circumstances,  convert  mercury, 
or  any  other  of  the  baser  metals,  into  gold  or  silver. 
He  hesitated  before  making  public  this  extraordinary 
discovery;  but  having  communicated  it  to  a  few  friends, 
and  the  matter  becoming  a  subject  of  doubtful  discus- 
sion among  chemists,  he  determined  to  put  an  end  to 
cavil  by  conducting  a  series  of  experiments  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a  select  assemblage  of  men  of  rank  and  science. 
The  experiments,  seven  in  number,  were  commenced 
on  the  6th  of  May,  1782,  and  ended  on  the  25th  of  the 
same  month.  They  were  witnessed  by  peers,  baronets, 
clergymen,  lawyers,  and  chemists  ;  and,  in  all  of  these 
experiments,  gold  and  silver  were  apparently  produced. 
Some  of  the  gold  was  presented  to  the  reigning  mon- 
arch, George  III.,  who  received  it  with  gracious  conde- 
scension. The  University  of  Oxford  bestowed  upon 
Price  the  degree  of  M.D. ;  and  his  work,  containing  an 
account  of  his  experiments,  ran  through  two  editions 
in  the  course  of  a  few  months. 


204 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


A  fierce  paper  conflict  ensued,  however,  on  the  publi- 
cation of  the  experiments ;  and  the  Royal  Society  felt 
bound  to  interfere.  It  accordingly  called  upon  Price, 
as  a  fellow  of  the  society,  to  prove  to  his  fellow-brothers 
the  truth  of  his  transmutations  by  repeating  his  experi- 
ments in  their  presence. 

From  this  time  Price  seems  to  have  lost  confidence, 
and  for  a  long  time  he  tried  in  various  ways  to  evade 
the  responsibility.  He  declined  to  renew  his  experi- 
ments, on  the  ground  that  although  it  was  a  valuable 
discovery  in  science,  yet  it  was  not  of  practical  value, 
since  the  cost  of  gold  manufactured  in  this  manner  was 
greater  than  the  value  of  the  gold  obtained ;  that  it 
would  cost  seventeen  pounds  sterling  to  make  only  one 
ounce  of  gold. 

These  excuses  were  of  no  avail ;  Sir  Joseph  Banks, 
president  of  the  society,  reminding  Price  that  not  only 
his  own  honor,  but  the  honor  of  the  first  scientific  body 
in  the  world,  was  implicated  in  the  affair.  Yielding  at 
last  to  the  entreaties  of  his  friends,  Price  consented 
to  make  some  more  of  the  powder  of  projection,  and  to 
satisfy  the  Royal  Society.  For  this  purpose,  as  he 
stated,  he  left  London  in  January,  1783,  for  his  labo- 
ratory at  Guildford,  faithfully  promising  to  return  in  a 
month,  and  confound,  as  well  as  convince,  all  his  oppo- 
nents. Arriving  at  Guildford,  he  shut  himself  up  in  his 
laboratory,  where  his  first  employment  was  to  distil 
a  quantity  of  laurel-water,  the  quickest  and  deadliest 
poison  then  known.  He  next  wrote  his  will,  and  after 
these  preliminaries  he  commenced  the  preparation  of 
his  promised  powder  of  projection. 

After  six  months  he  re-appeared  in  London,  and 
invited  as  many  members  of  the  Royal  Society  as  could 
make  it  convenient,  to  meet  him  at  his  laboratory 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


205 


at  Guildford  on  the  3d  of  August.  Three  members  only 
accepted  his  invitation.  Price  received  them  with  cor- 
diality, though  he  seemed  to  feel  acutely  the  want  of 
confidence  implied  by  their  being  so  few.  Stepping  to 
one  side  for  a  moment,  he  hastily  swallowed  the  con- 
tents of  a  flask  of  laurel-water.  The  visitors,  seeing  a 
sudden  change  in  his  appearance,  though  then  ignorant 
of  the  cause,  called  for  medical  assistance  ;  but  in  a 
few  moments  the  unfortunate  man  was  dead. 

It  can  never  be  fully  ascertained  whether  he  was 
himself  deceived,  or  whether  he  wilfully  deceived  oth- 
ers ;  but  alchemy  in  England  thus  ended  in  tragedy. 

Contemporary  with  Price,  there  lived  at  the  univer- 
sity of  Halle,  Germany,  a  grave  and  learned  professor 
of  theology,  named  Semler,  —  a  clergyman  who  used  to 
relieve  his  severe  mental  labors  by  performing  a  few 
chemical  experiments  in  a  small  private  laboratory. 
When  Semler  was  well  advanced  in  years,  a  Baron  Hir- 
schen  discovered,  as  he  announced,  a  universal  medi- 
cine or  panacea,  which  he  called  the  Salt  of  Life. 
Semler  tried  some  of  it,  and,  fancying  that  it  benefited 
his  health,  sat  down,  and  wrote  three  treatises  on  its 
astonishing  virtues. 

While  studying  the  virtues  of  the  Salt  of  Life,  Sem- 
ler did  not  fail  to  remember  the  ancient  notion  of  the 
alchemists,  that  the  Philosopher's  Stone,  when  found, 
would  also  be  a  panacea. 

Here,  he  thought,  is  a  universal  medicine  that  can 
change  all  disease  into  perfect  health  :  why  may  it  not 
be  liable  to  convert  an  imperfect  metal  into  pure 
gold  ? 

He  determined  to  fit  up  his  laboratory  once  more, 
and  in  the  mean  time  placed  an  earthen  jar,  containing 
a  solution  of  the  Salt  of  Life  in  pure  water,  near  a 


206 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


stone,  to  see  the  effect  of  moderate  heat.  On  examin- 
ing this  jar  a  few  days  afterwards,  to  Semler's  surprise, 
he  found  that  it  contained  some  thin  scales  of  a  yellow- 
ish metal,  which,  being  tested,  proved  to  be  pure  gold. 
Here  was  a  discovery  ! 

He  repeated  the  experiment  several  times  with  the 
same  result,  until  he  became  perfectly  convinced  that 
gold  could  be  generated.  Semler  thought  it  his  duty 
to  publish  his  discovery  to  the  world,  which  he  accord- 
ingly did. 

All  Germany  was  astounded.  Salt  of  Life  came  into 
universal  demand,  and  there  were  few  houses  where  a 
jar  of  it  might  not  be  seen  beside  the  stove;  but  fewer 
still  were  the  houses  in  which  it  produced  gold  —  only 
one,  and  that  was  Semler's. 

The  professor,  in  a  lengthy  article,  attempted  to  ex- 
plain how  his  solution  produced  gold.  It  was  owing  to 
the  perfect  regularity  of  temperature  which  was  neces- 
sary to  produce  the  gold.  But  Klaproth,  the  most  emi- 
nent chemist  of  the  day,  having  analyzed  the  Salt  of 
Life,  found  it  to  be  a  mixture  of  Glauber's  salts  and 
sulphate  of  magnesia,  and  utterly  incapable  of  producing 
gold  under  any  circumstances. 

The  bitter  controversy  which  ensued,  turned  princi- 
pally upon  the  veracity  of  the  respective  leaders ;  and 
so  hard  did  theology  press  upon'  science,  that  Klaproth 
condescended  to  analyze  some  of  Semler's  solution  in 
the  presence  of  the  king  and  other  distinguished  per- 
sons in  Berlin.  The  result  was  surprising.  He  found 
the  gold,  but  not  combined  with  the  other  ingredients, 
as  it  could  be  removed  by  the  mere  process  of  washing. 
Still,  Semler's  known  probity  was  his  stronghold.  An- 
other analysis  was  still  more  surprising ;  Klaproth  find- 
ing a  metal  not  gold,  but  a  kind  of  brass  called  "  Dutch 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


207 


Metal."  This  new  discovery  created  shouts  of  laugh- 
ter; but  the  government,  interfering,  instituted  a  legal 
inquiry,  and  the  police  soon  solved  the  mystery.  Sem- 
ler  had  a  warmly  attached  old  servant,  who,  for  the  sim- 
ple purpose  of  gratifying  his  beloved  master,  used  to 
slyly  slip  small  pieces  of  gold-leaf  into  the  professor's 
chemical  mixtures  ;  and,  having  once  commenced  this 
course,  the  servant  had  to  keep  it  up.  Being  a  pen- 
sioner, he  had  to  report  at  headquarters  once  a  year. 
He  intrusted  the  secret  to  his  wife,  giving  her  money 
to  buy  the  gold-leaf  ;  but  she  bought  the  Dutch  Metal 
instead,  expending  the  balance  of  the  money  for  brandy, 
her  favorite  beverage. 

When  this  laughable  discovery  was  made,  Semler 
fairly  confessed  his  error;  and  no  pretensions  to  alchemy 
were  ever  again  listened  to  in  the  German  states. 
Alchemy  is  to  modern  chemistry  what  astrology  is  to 
astronomy,  or  legend  to  history. 

Tradition  points  to  Egypt  as  the  birthplace  of  the 
science  :  at  a  later  period  it  was  taken  up  by  the  Arabs, 
and  it  is  to  them  that  European  alchemy  is  directly 
traceable. 

Many  important  inventions  are  the  result  of  this 
ancient  science. 

It  was  in  searching  for  the  Philosopher's  Stone,  that 
Botticher  stumbled  on  the  invention  of  Dresden  porce- 
lain manufacture ;  Roger  Bacon  on  the  composition  of 
gunpowder ;  Geber  on  the  properties  of  acids  ;  Von 
Helmont  on  the  nature  of  gas,  etc. 


20S 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


174.  VALERIAN. 

This  Roman  general  was  proclaimed  Emperor  of 
Rome,  A.D.  254. 

He  was  of  noble  birth  and  unblemished  character, 
and  was  in  every  way  worthy  to  reign. 

In  an  expedition  against  Persia  in  A.D.  260,  he  was 
defeated,  and  taken  prisoner ;  and  when  he  asked  for  a 
private  conference  with  the  Persian  king,  Sapor,  the 
king  seized  him,  and  carried  him  in  triumph  to  his 
capital. 

Valerian  was  exposed  in  all  the  cities  of  Persia  to 
the  ridicule  and  insolence  of  the  people ;  and,  when 
Sapor  mounted  his  throne,  he  used  Valerian  as  his 
footstool. 

After  every  insult  had  been  heaped  upon  Valerian, 
by  the  monarch's  order  he  was  flayed  alive,  and  salt 
thrown'over  his  quivering  flesh,  so  that  he  died  in  the 
greatest  agony. 

His  skin  was  then  stuffed,  and  painted  scarlet ;  and, 
that  the  ignominy  of  the  Roman  Empire  might  be  last- 
ing, the  effigy  was  nailed  up  in  a  Persian  temple.  Vale- 
rian died  after  a  reign  of  seven  years,  aged  seventy- 
one. 


175.  t£l£maque. 

"  Telemaque  "  was  written  by  Francois  Fenelon,  Arch- 
bishop of  Cambray.  It  is  a  French  prose  epic,  in 
twenty-four  books,  and  contains  the  adventures  of  Tele- 
machus,  the  only  son  of  Ulysses  and  Penelope,  while 
in  search  of  his  father  who  had  been  absent  twenty 
years  from  his  home.  Telemachus  is  accompanied  by 
the  god  of  wisdom  under  the  form  of  Mentor.  There 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


209 


is  perhaps  no  book  in  the  French  language  which  has 
been  more  read,  and  it  is  a  class-book  in  almost  every 
European  school. 

Fenelon  was  suspected  of  favoring  the  doctrines  of 
the  Quietists ;  and,  upon  his  refusing  to  condemn  them, 
Bossuet  denounced  him  to  the  king  as  a  heretic.  He, 
however,  signed  a  recantation,  and  would  have  been 
restored  to  royal  favor  had  not  this  celebrated  romance 
of  "Telemaque"  (which  he  had  written  some  years  be- 
fore, to  train  the  mind  of  his  young  pupil  —  the  Duke 
of  Burgundy,  a  grandson  of  Louis  XIV. — "in  the  princi- 
ples of  virtue")  been  published,  against  his  will,  through 
the  treachery  of  a  servant,  who  sold  a  copy  without  telling 
the  name  of  the  author.  It  was  considered  a  sarcasm 
on  the  reign  of  Louis  XIV.  ;  and  it  caused  Fenelon  to 
be  banished  from  court,  and  to  spend  the  rest  of  his  life 
in  exile.  He  died  in  Cambray,  aged  sixty-three  years, 
Jan.  7,  i  71 5. 


176.    TRIO  OF  MODERN  GREEKS. 

First,  Asmus  Jacob  Carstens,  an  eminent  German 
painter  (A.D.  1754  to  1798).  His  chief  work,  "The  Fall 
of  the  Angels,"  contains  two  hundred  figures.  From 
this  work  he  obtained  the  means  to  reach  Rome.  His 
numerous  studies  there  from  Greek  subjects,  distin- 
guished for  purity  of  style,  beauty  of  form,  and  fine 
distribution  of  light,  obtained  for  him  the  title  of  "  A 
Modern  Greek." 

Second,  Bertel  Thorwaldsen,  one  of  the  greatest 
modern  sculptors  (A.D.  1770  to  1844),  was  born  in  Co- 
penhagen, Denmark. 

The  date  of  his  birth  is  supposed  to  be  November, 
1770;  but,  when  questioned  on  the  subject,  he  always 


2IO 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


replied,  "I  entered  Rome  on  the  8th  of  March,  1797," 
reckoning  his  existence  from  the  commencement  of  his 
career  as  an  artist. 

His  subjects  were  chiefly  classical  and  mythological. 

His  fame  became  so  great,  that,  when  he  revisited 
his  native  city,  his  reception  was  triumphant. 

He  died  suddenly  of  heart-disease,  in  the  theatre  at 
Copenhagen,  in  1844. 

He  bequeathed  all  his  works  remaining  in  his  posses- 
sion to  the  city  of  Copenhagen,  to  be  preserved  in  a 
museum  bearing  his  name :  for  the  maintenance  of  the 
museum  he  left  the  bulk  of  his  property. 

This  magnificent  and  unique  collection  is  now  the 
glory  of  the  capital  of  his  native  country. 

Third,  Karl  Friedrich  Schinkel,  a  celebrated  German 
architect  (1781  to  1841). 

He  designed  a  great  number  of  houses,  castles, 
churches,  and  public  buildings. 

He  was  a  man  of  powerful  and  original  genius ;  and 
his  designs  are  remarkable  for  vigor,  beauty,  harmony 
of  details,  and  unity  of  idea.  He  also  was  called  a 
"modern  Greek." 

These  three  obtain  the  title  of  "Greeks  of  later 
days,"  because  they  succeeded  in  re-animating  the 
Greek  ideal,  with  a  simplicity,  depth,  and  grandeur, 
hitherto  unattained  by  any  artists  attempting  classical 
subjects. 

Best  specimens  of  the  work  of  all  three  are  to  be 
seen  in  the  museum  at  Weimar. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


211 


177.    THE  CITY  OF  THE  VIOLATED  TREATY. 

The  city  of  Limerick,  the  capital  of  Limerick  County, 
Province  of  Munster,  Ireland,  is  often  spoken  of  as 
"The  City  of  the  Violated  Treaty." 

At  one  end  of  Thomond  Bridge  is  the  famous  treaty- 
stone,  shaped  like  an  arm-chair,  upon  which  the  treaty 
of  Oct.  3,  1691,  was  signed. 

When  the  Irish  and  French  garrison  of  James  II. 
surrendered  to  De  Ginkel,  one  article  of  the  treaty 
stipulated  that  Roman  Catholics  should  take  the  oath 
of  allegiance  to  the  King  of  England,  and  should  then 
be  preserved  from  any  disturbance  on  account  of  their 
religion.  This  provision  was  adhered  to  by  William  III., 
but  was  broken  by  Queen  Anne  ;  and  since  that  day 
the  city  of  Limerick  has  received  the  sobriquet  above 
mentioned. 


178.    ANTIQUITY  OF  THE  HOHENZOLLERNS. 

The  dynasty  of  the  Hohenzollerns  of  Prussia  has  a 
greater  antiquity  than  any  other  family  reigning  in 
Europe.  This  dynasty  received  their  sceptre  at  the 
hands  of  Sigismond,  in  the  fifteenth  century,  and  have 
transmitted  it  without  dispute  to  the  present  time. 

While  the  family  has  never  had  much  dominion,  it 
was  brought  into  historic  prominence  by  being  con- 
nected with  the  origin  of  the  Franco-Prussian  war  in 
1870-71.  The  Prince  Hohenzollern  was  invited  to  take 
the  Spanish  crown.  As  he  is  a  near  relation  of  the 
reigning  family  of  Prussia,  France  objected,  and  prop- 
erly, to  finding  herself  placed  between  "two  Prussias." 
Although  the  prince  declined  the  crown,  France  intem- 
perately  demanded  of  Prussia  that  she  would  never  put 


212 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


a  Prussian  prince  upon  the  throne  of  Spain.  The  Prus- 
sian king  felt  insulted,  refused  to  make  such  a  promise, 
and  the  war  ensued. 


179.    THE  HALF-TOLD  TALE. 

"  Call  up  him  that  left  half  told 
The  story  of  Cambuscan  bold  ! " 

The  lines  quoted  are  by  Milton  in  his  "II  Penseroso." 
Spenser  finished  the  untold  tale. 

" Cambuscan "  is  the  hero  of  the  "Squire's  Tale," 
one  of  the  "Canterbury  Tales  "of  Chaucer,  "the  father 
of  English  poetry."  Chaucer  was  born  in  London  in 
1328,  and  died  in  1400. 

The  "  Canterbury  Tales "  are  eighteen  in  number, 
told  by  a  company  of  pilgrims  on  their  way  to  visit 
the  shrine  of  "  St.  Thomas  a  Becket "  at  Canterbury. 

There  were  twenty-nine  pilgrims.  They  assembled 
at  the  Tabard,  an  inn  in  Southwark,  a  suburb  of  Lon- 
don, and  there  agreed  to  tell  one  tale  each,  both  going 
and  returning;  and  the  person  who  told  the  best  tale 
was  to  be  treated  by  the  rest  to  a  supper  at  the  Tabard 
on  their  return. 

The  whole  number  of  tales  should  have  been  fifty- 
eight  ;  but  only  eighteen  were  told,  not  one  being  nar- 
rated on  the  homeward  journey. 

"  In  these  tales,  English  life  as  it  then  existed  is 
wonderfully  portrayed,  —  when  the  king  tilted  in  tourna- 
ment ;  when  the  knight  and  the  lady  rode  over  the 
down,  with  falcon  on  wrist ;  when  pilgrims  bound  for 
the  tomb  of  St.  Thomas  passed  on  from  village  to  vil- 
lage ;  when  friars,  sitting  in  taverns  over  wine,  sang 
songs  that  formed  a  remarkable  contrast  with  the  ser- 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


213 


vices  they  so  piously  and  sweetly  intoned  in  church  and 
chapel. 

"All  that  stirring  and  gayly  apparelled  time  —  so  dif- 
ferent from  our  own  —  is  seen  in  Chaucer's  work  :  as  in 
every  other,  when  the  superficial  tumults  and  noises 
that  so  stun  the  contemporary  ear  have  faded  away, 
leaving  behind  that  which  is  elemental  and  eternal,  the 
poet  is  found  to  be  the  truest  historian." 

Geoffrey  Chaucer  died  on  the  25th  October,  1400,  aged 
seventy-four,  and  was  buried  in  Westminster  Abbey, 
the  first  of  that  long  line  of  English  poets  who  make  the 
"  Poets'  Corner  "  a  spot  of  such  world-wide  interest  and 
renown. 

Cambuscan  was  a  rich  and  powerful  king  who  lived 
at  Sarra,  in  Tartary.  He  excelled  in  all  the  qualities 
which  belong  to  a  wise  and  good  king. 

Twenty  years  after  Cambuscan  had  been  in  posses- 
sion of  the  crown,  he  celebrated  his  birthday  by  a  splen- 
did festival. 

The  story  is  based  upon  the  events  of  this  feast,  dur- 
ing which  a  knight  rode  into  the  court,  with  presents 
from  the  king  of  Arabia  and  India,  sent  to  Cambuscan 
on  his  natal  day,  and  to  the  Princess  Canace.  The 
presents  were,  a  horse  of  brass,  a  broad  glass  mirror,  a 
ring  of  gold,  and  a  naked  sword.  These  all  possessed 
a  magic  power. 

"  This  steede  of  bras,  that  easily  and  wel 
Can  in  the  space  of  o  day  naturel 
Beren  your  body  into  every  place 
To  which  your  herte  wilneth  for  a  pace. 


This  mirrour  eke  that  I  have  in  myn  hand 
Hath  such  a  mighte,  that  men  may  in  it  see 
When  ther  schal  falle  eny  adversite 


214 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Unto  your  regne,  or  to  yourself  also, 
And  openly  who  is  your  frend  or  fo ; 


The  vertu  of  this  ryng,  if  ye  wol  heere, 
Is  this,  that  whoso  lust  it  for  to  were 
Upon  hir  thomb,  or  in  her  purs  to  bere, 
Ther  is  no  'foul '  that  fleeth  under  the  heven" 

whose  language  she  shall  not  understand,  and  also  to 
answer  the  bird  in  its  own  speech.  It  also  bestowed 
the  knowledge  of  the  healing  properties  of  — 

"  Every  gras  that  groweth  upon  roote. 


This  naked  swerd  that  hangeth  by  my  side 
Such  vertu  hath,  that  what  man  that  it  smyte, 
Schal  never  be  hool,  till  that  you  lust  of  grace 
To  strok  him  with  the  'flat'  in  thilke  place." 

Most  critics  agree  with  Milton,  in  his  declaration  that 
Chaucer  left  this  tale  "  half  told."  Spenser  finishes  the 
story  in  his  own  inimitable  style,  first  stepping  aside 
to  speak  of  — 

"  Dan  Chaucer,  well  of  English  undefyled 
On  Fame's  eternal  beadroll  worthie  to  be  filed." 


180.    THE  LAOCOON. 

The  most  famous  work  of  the  Rhodian  school  of  art 
extant  is  the  celebrated  group  of  the  Laocoon,  executed 
by  Agesander  of  Rhodes,  with  his  son  Athenodorus 
and  his  pupil  Polydorus,  who  lived  after  Alexander  the 
Great.  It  was  discovered  in  Rome  near  the  Setti  Sale, 
on  the  Esquiline,  in  1506,  while  Michael  Angelo  was  at 
Rome,  and  is  now  one  of  the  chief  treasures  of  the 
Vatican  collection. 

Laocoon,  the  son  of  Priam,  was  a  priest  of  Apollo 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


215 


during  the  siege  of  Troy.  He  endeavored  to  persuade 
the  Trojans  that  the  wooden  horse  was  not,  as  they 
thought,  a  palladium  sent  by  the  gods  ;  and  he  tried  to 
dissuade  them  from  bringing  it  into  the  city,  going  so 
far  as  to  throw  a  javelin  at  it. 

On  his  returning  to  the  temple  to  offer  a  sacrifice  to 
Neptune,  two  enormous  serpents  are  said  to  have  come 
from  under  the  altar,  and  destroyed  him  and  his  two 
sons. 

The  Trojans,  attributing  this  to  the  anger  of  the 
deity,  at  once  drew  the  wooden  horse  inside  of  the 
walls  :  consequently  Troy  was  taken. 

"  This  group  represents  Laocoon  and  his  two  sons  in  their  death- 
agony.  The  two  serpents  have  just  wound  themselves  in  unyield- 
ing and  inexorable  folds  about  the  three  figures.  Laocoon,  power- 
less, is  pressed  against  the  altar,  at  the  foot  of  which  the  younger 
son  is  breathing  out  his  life  with  a  last  sigh  under  the  serpent's 
cruel  bite.  The  father  cannot  help  him ;  for  he  is  himself  struck  in 
the  side  by  the  deadly  fang  of  the  second  serpent,  so  that  he  thrusts 
himself  upward,  convulsed  by  a  spasm  of  pain.  .  .  .  Overcome 
with  the  agony  of  death,  .  .  .  his  right  hand,  with  an  expression 
true  to  nature,  grasps  the  back  of  his  head;  and  the  left,  with  a 
convulsive,  instinctive  clutch,  seeks  to  tear  off  the  monster.  The 
elder  son,  at  his  left,  gazes  up  in  horror  at  his  father,  while  he 
vainly  seeks  t6  free  his  foot  from  the  coils  of  the  serpent,  to  whose 
rage  he,  too,  is  in  a  moment  to  fall  a  victim.  The  whole  pathos  is 
concentrated  in  the  powerful  figure  of  the  father." 

The  upraised  arms  of  the  three  are  restorations. 
Pliny  says,  — 

"  The  Laocoon  .  .  .  which  stands  in  the  palace  of  Titus,  is  a 
work  which  may  be  considered  superior  to  all  others,  both  in 
painting  and  statuary.  The  whole  group,  the  father,  the  boys,  and 
the  awful  folds  of  the  serpents,  were  formed  out  of  a  single 
block." 

But  the  lapse  of  two  thousand  years  has  revealed  a 


2l6 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


joint  so  nice  as  to  be  almost  imperceptible.  From  this, 
it  appears  that  the  elder  of  the  two  sons  was  not  wrought 
out  of  the  same  block  of  marble  as  the  father  and  the 
younger  son. 

Winckelmann  says,  — 

"  Among  the  many  thousand  productions  of  the  most  celebrated 
artists  which  have  been  brought  to  Rome  from  all  parts  of  Greece, 
this  statue  was  esteemed  as  the  highest  effort  of  art :  it  therefore 
certainly  deserves  so  much  the  greater  attention  and  admiration 
from  later  posterity,  which  is  unable  to  produce  any  thing  worthy 
of  being  compared  with  it,  even  remotely.  The  wise  man  finds  it 
an  inexhaustible  subject  of  inquiry;  and  the  artist,  of  instruction: 
and  both  may  rest  satisfied,  that,  though  the  eye  discovers  some- 
what in  this  image,  yet  far  more  remains  undiscovered,  and  that 
the  understanding  of  the  master  was  much  loftier  even  than  his 
work." 

As  to  Virgil's  beautiful  description,  we  do  not  know 
which  is  first  in  point  of  time,  the  statue  or  the  poem, 
they  describe  each  other  so  perfectly  (see  ^Eneid,  lib.  ii., 
201-222). 


181.    THE  EXPRESSION  "WINDFALL." 

The  origin  of  "windfall,"  in  the  sense  of  "good  luck," 
dates  from  the  time  of  William  the  Conqueror.  It  was 
then  a  criminal  offence  to  cut  timber  in  the  forests. 
Only  such  could  be  gathered  as  the  wind  had  blown 
down  :  hence  a  heavy  windstorm  was  hailed  by  the 
peasants  as  so  much  good  luck,  and  from  this  comes 
its  modern  application. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


217 


182.    THE  MACCABEES. 

Jewish  history,  between  the  end  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment and  the  beginning  of  the  New,  falls  into  two  di- 
visions, the  Grecian  and  the  Roman.  The  Maccabees 
were  heroes  of  the  first  of  these  periods. 

Greek  influence  was  brought  into  Judaea  by  Alex- 
ander. 

After  Alexander's  death  his  power  was  divided  among 
his  generals.  The  centre  of  one  wing  was  Alexandria 
in  Egypt :  the  centre  of  the  other  was  Antioch  in  Syria. 
They  who  ruled  at  Alexandria  were  the  Ptolemies  ;  they 
who  ruled  at  Antioch  were  the  Seleucidae  ;  Judaea  lay 
midway  between. 

Thus  the  Grecian  period  of  Jewish  history  between 
the  Testaments  also  falls  into  two  divisions.  The  Ptol- 
emies ruled  first :  the  Maccabees  lived  and  fought  in 
the  days  of  the  Seleucidae. 

The  chief  among  the  Greek  kings  of  Syria,  the  Seleu- 
cidae, was  Antiochus. 

Antioohus  is  known  by  two  names,  —  "  Epiphanes," 
which  means  "The  Brilliant,"  and  "  Epimanes,"  which 
means  "The  Madman."  These  names  describe  his 
character. 

It  was  the  aim  of  Antiochus  to  bring  Greek  customs 
into  Judaea. 

In  accordance  with  this,  the  keeping  of  the  Sabbath, 
the  rite  of  circumcision,  and  the  distinctions  between 
clean  and  unclean  food,  were  strictly  forbidden. 

The  king  emphasized,  his  laws  by  the  capture  of  the 
Holy  City,  and  the  pollution  of  the  altars  of  the  temple. 

Altars  were  everywhere  built,  on  which  Jews  were 
required  to  sacrifice  to  Greek  gods.  Among  the  faith- 
ful Jews  who  preferred  to  die  rather  than  to  blaspheme 


2l8 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


God,  was  a  family  bearing  the  name  of  Asmon.  The 
father  of  the  family  was  Mattathias.  He  had  five  sons, 
—  John,  Simon,  Judas,  Eleazar,  and  Jonathan.  The 
men  of  this  family  were  those  whom  we  know  as  the 
"  Maccabees."  The  name  "Maccab"  is  the  Hebrew 
word  for  hammer. 

The  Maccabees  were  the  hammer  of  the  Greeks,  even 
as  Charles  Martel  was  afterward  given  the  same  name 
of  hammer,  —  "  Martel,"  the  hammer  of  the  Moors. 

Led  by  their  father,  this  brave  family  headed  a  popu- 
lar revolt.  Weak  in  numbers,  but  strong  in  indomitable 
zeal,  and  brave  in  the  help  of  the  Lord,  they  conquered 
the  multitudes  of  the  enemy  in  several  battles,  and 
recaptured  Jerusalem. 

The  festival  of  the  new  consecration  of  the  restored 
temple  under  Judas  Maccabaeus  was  annually  observed 
among  the  Jews,  and  was  that  feast  of  the  dedication 
to  which  our  Lord  went  at  Jerusalem. 

The  greatest  victory  of  Judas  was  over  the  Syrian 
general,  Nicanor. 

The  hand  of  Nicanor  was  nailed  to  "The  Beautiful 
Gate  "  of  the  temple. 

In  the  oratorio  of  "Judas  Maccabaeus,"  written  to 
celebrate  the  return  of  the  Duke  of  Cumberland  from 
the  battle  of  Culloden  in  1745,  occurred  the  chorus 
"  See  the  Conquering  Hero  Comes  : "  it  was  the  hymn 
of  victory  over  the  conquest  of  Nicanor. 

Judas  was  killed  in  battle. 

Eleazar  also  died  fighting,  being  crushed  by  an  ele- 
phant, which  he  had  stabbed,  thinking  that  the  Syrian 
general  was  on  his  back. 

Jonathan  and  Simon  carried  on  the  conflict.  Simon 
coined  the  first  national  Jewish  money.  The  sons  of 
Simon  kept  the  leadership  until  the  time  of  Hyrcanus 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS.  219 

• 

IL,  whose  granddaughter,  Mariamne,  became  the  un- 
happy wife  of  Herod  the  Great :  thenceforth  the  ruling 
family  was  Herodian. 

Among  the  Old-Testament  apocryphal  books  are 
four  books  of  the  Maccabees.  Only  the  first  two  books 
were  received  in  the  Vulgate,  and  declared  canonical 
by  the  councils  of  Florence  and  Trent.  They  were 
translated  by  Jerome. 

The  third  and  fourth  books  seem  to  have  been  alto- 
gether unknown  to  the  Western  Church,  while  the 
fifth  is  considered  spurious.  The  accepted  apocryphal 
books  of  the  Old  Testament  were  written  during  the 
four  hundred  years  intervening  between  the  Old  and 
New  Testaments  ;  but  most,  if  not  all,  of  them  bear 
internal  evidence  of  having  been  composed  as  late  as 
the  first  and  second  centuries  B.C.  The  word  Apoc- 
rypha originally  meant  secret  or  concealed,  and  in  the 
early  Christian  centuries  was  applied  with  different  sig- 
nification to  a  variety  of  writings.  Sometimes  it  was 
applied  to  writings  whose  authorship  was  unknown ; 
sometimes  to  writings  containing  a  hidden  meaning ; 
sometimes  to  those  whose  public  use  was  unadvisable. 

Since  the  time  of  Jerome  (A.D.  340-420)  the  term 
has  been  applied  to  sacred  writings  which  the  Greek 
or  Septuagint  version  of  the  Bible  had  circulated  among 
Christians,  but  whose  inspired  authority  was  considered 
doubtful.  The  Greek  Church  at  the  Council  of  Lao- 
dicea  (A.D.  360)  excluded  them  from  the  canon  of 
Scripture.  The  Latin  Church  at  the  Council  of  Trent 
(1545-63)  placed  them  on  an  equality  with  the  rest  of 
the  Old  Testament.  The  Church  of  England  uses 
them  in  part  for  edification,  but  not  for  the  "establish- 
ment of  doctrine."  All  other  Protestant  churches  in 
England  and  America  reject  their  use  in  public  wor- 


220 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


ship.  The  precise  origin  of  all  these  writings  can  never, 
perhaps,  be  fully  ascertained. 

There  are  fourteen  Old-Testament  apocryphal  books. 

The  New-Testament  apocryphal  writings  are  not 
without  interest  and  instruction.  They  throw  light 
upon  the  workings  of  the  early  Christian  Church ;  and, 
above  all,  both  the  Old  and  the  New  enable  us  to  appre- 
ciate the  great  superiority  of  those  Scriptures  which 
have  canonical  authority. 


183.    THE  BUONARROTI  PAPERS. 

These  papers  are  the  archives  of  the  Buonarroti  fam- 
ily, and  contain  very  valuable  historical  information, 
covering  a  period  of  six  hundred  years,  from  1250  to 
i860.  In  the  year  i860  Count  Buonarroti  died,  be- 
queathing these  valuable  papers  to  the  city  of  Florence 
on  condition  that  they  should  never  be  made  public : 
fortunately,  however,  the  whole  contents  of  the  Buo- 
narroti bequest  was  not  doomed  to  eternal  seclusion,  as 
a  part  of  the  heritage  came  by  purchase  into  the  posses- 
sion of  the  British  Museum.  In  this  small  portion  are 
to  be  seen  one  hundred  and  fifty  letters  of  Michael 
Angelo  in  his  own  handwriting,  while  two  hundred  of 
them  lie  hidden  in  Florence.  A  perfect  account  of 
Michael  Angelo  and  his  times  cannot  be  written  until 
the  Florentine  papers  are  accessible. 

The  Buonarroti  family,  to  which  Michael  Angelo  be- 
longed, was  one  of  the  most  distinguished  Florentine 
families  :  Beatrice,  sister  of  the  emperor  Henry  II.,  was 
the  ancestress  of  this  family. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


221 


184.    THE  PYRAMID  OF  CAIUS  CESTIUS. 

This  famous  monument  was  erected  about  the  year 
30  B.C.,  and  marks  the  spot  near  which  St.  Paul  suf- 
fered martyrdom.  The  pyramid  is  built  of  brick,  and 
coated  with  marble  ;  is  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet 
high,  a  hundred  feet  square  at  the  base ;  and  the  old 
Protestant  cemetery,  now  closed,  surrounds  it.  In  the 
interior  is  a  small  sepulchral  chamber  painted  in  ara- 
besques. Two  inscriptions  on  ^he  exterior  show  that 
the  Caius  Cestius  buried  here  was  a  praetor,  a  tribune 
of  the  people,  and  one  of  the  "  Epulones  "  appointed  to 
provide  the  sacrificial  feasts  of  the  gods.  Caius  Cestius 
died  about  30  B.C.,  leaving  Agrippa  as  his  executor. 

"  St.  Paul  was  led  to  execution  beyond  the  city-walls  on  the 
road  to  Ostia.  As  he  issued  forth  from  the  gate,  his  eyes  must 
have  rested  for  a  moment  on  that  sepulchral  pyramid  which  stood 
beside  the  road,  and  still  stands  unshattered  amid  the  wreck  of  so 
many  centuries  upon  the  same  spot. 

"  That  spot  was  then  only  the  burial-place  of  a  single  Roman  ; 
it  is  now  the  burial-place  of  many  Britons. 

"  The  mausoleum  of  Caius  Cestius  rises  conspicuously  among 
humble  graves,  and  marks  the  spot  where  Papal  Rome  suffers  her 
Protestant  sojourners  to  bury  their  dead.  .  .  .  Among  the  works 
of  man,  that  pyramid  is  the  only  surviving  witness  of  the  martyr- 
dom of  St.  Paul;  and  we  may  thus  regard  it  with  yet  deeper  inter- 
est as  a  monument  unconsciously  erected  by  a  pagan  to  the  memory 
of  a  martyr." 


185.    THE  CRESCENT. 

In  the  year  340  B.C.,  when  Philip  of  Macedon  was 
besieging  the  city  of  Byzantium,  —  now  Constantinople, 
—  a  light  suddenly  appeared,  in  the  shape  of  a  crescent, 
enabling  the  Athenian  garrison  to  see  and  thwart  the 
intended  assault  of  the  besiegers.    In  commemoration 


222 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


of  this  event,  the  Athenians  erected  a  statue  to  Diana, 
goddess  of  the  moon  ;  and  the  crescent  became  the  sym- 
bol of  the  state.  The  Turkish  Empire  adopted  it  imme- 
diately after  the  conquest  of  Constantinople  in  A.D. 
1453- 

The  crescent  is  often  used  as  an  emblem  of  progress 
and  success.  It  is  seen  at  the  present  day  on  churches 
at  Moscow,  and  elsewhere  in  Russia,  surmounted  with 
a  cross  to  mark  the  Byzantine  origin  of  the  Russian 
Church,  or,  as  some  say,  to  symbolize  the  triumph  of 
Russia  over  Turkey,  the  cross  over  the  crescent. 


186.    THE  LOLLARDS. 

The  Society  of  Lollards  was  formed  in  Antwerp 
about  the  year  1300,  to  undertake  the  spiritual  care  of 
the  sick  and  the  dying,  and  the  burial  of  the  dead.  By 
their  kind  offices  they  greatly  won  the  affections  of  the 
people.  They  were  very  much  persecuted  by  the  clergy 
and  the  begging  friars  until  Gregory  XI.  took  them 
under  his  protection,  in  1374.  Female  Lollard  societies 
were  formed  about  the  same  time.  The  origin  of  the 
name  "  Lollard  ".  has  been  much  disputed  :  Webster 
derives  it  from  a  German  word  signifying  "  to  sing." 
A  Lollard,  therefore,  meant  one  who  sang  the  praises 
of  God. 

In  England  the  Lollards  warmly  espoused  the  cause 
of  Wickliffe ;  and  in  derision,  all  of  Wickliffe's  followers 
were  called  "Lollards." 

In  the  reign  of  Henry  V.  they  had  become  a  formid- 
able power  against  the  Roman  Catholics,  so  that  the 
king  was  forced  by  the  monks  and  clergy  to  resort  to 
severe  measures  for  their  suppression. 

Lord  Cobham,  being  their  leader,  was  ordered  to  be 
roasted  alive ;  and  this  was  followed  by  a  severe  perse- 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


223 


cution  of  all  the  Lollards.  To  this  they  exposed  them- 
selves by  a  wild  separation  from  all  authority,  which 
really  endangered  both  Church  and  State.  This  was 
the  first  instance  in  English  history  of  persons  being 
put  to  death  on  account  of  religious  opinions.  Soon 
after  this  they  seem  to  have  become  merged  into  the 
great  body  of  Reformers,  and  to  have  lost  their  identity 
as  a  distinct  society. 


187.    PLOT  OF  THE  OPERA  "  IL  TROVATORE." 

The  plot  of  the  opera  "II  Trovatore  "  ("The  Trouba- 
dour") is  very  romantic,  but  it  has  the  merit  also  of 
being  both  connected  and  intelligible. 

The  mother  of  Azucena,  an  old  gypsy,  has  been 
burned  as  a  witch  by  the  father  of  the  Count  de  Luna  ; 
and  Azucena,  to  revenge  her  mother's  death,  steals  the 
younger  brother  of  the  count,  and  brings  him  up  as  her 
son  under  the  name  of  Manrico.  He  becomes  a  trouba- 
dour, and  gains  the  love  of  Leonora,  who  is  also  beloved 
by  the  count. 

The  first  act  shows  Manrico  and  the  count  in  pursuit 
of  Leonora,  and  it  ends  with  a  challenge  and  a  duel. 

In  the  second  act,  the  gypsies  are  introduced,  Man- 
rico being  wounded.  He  learns  that  Leonora  is  about 
to  take  the  veil  ;  and  in  the  convent  the  rivals  again 
meet,  Manrico's  followers  overcoming  those  of  the 
count,  and  Manrico  bearing  off  Leonora. 

In  the  third  act,  the  lovers  are  about  to  be  united  : 
but  Manrico  learns  that  Azucena  is  in  the  power  of 
the  count,  and  condemned  to  be  burned  ;  and  in  his 
attempt  to  release  her,  he  is  also  captured. 

The  last  act  shows  Leonora  offering  to  marry  the 


224 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


count,  as  the  condition  of  Manrico's  freedom,  but  poi- 
soning herself  to  prevent  the  count's  possession  of  her. 
The  count  sends  Manrico  to  the  scaffold ;  and  only 
after  the  death-blow  has  been  struck,  does  he  learn 
from  Azucena  that  he  has  sacrificed  his  own  long-lost 
brother. 

The  scene  is  laid  partly  in  Biscay,  and  partly  in  Ara- 
gon,  the  time  being  the  early  part  of  the  fifteenth 
century. 

The  author  of  this  grand  opera  is  Guiseppe  Verdi. 
He  was  born  in  the  Duchy  of  Parma,  Italy,  Oct.  9,  18 14. 
His  first  opera  was  a  failure;  but  in  1842  he  brought 
out  "  Nabuco,"  which  at  once  made  him  famous.  He 
has  since  written  many  beautiful  operas,  —  "Ernani," 
"  Rigoletto,"  "II  Trovatore,"  "La  Traviata,"  and 
"Aida." 

At  one  time,  when  one  of  his  operas  was  to  be  per- 
formed in  Venice,  he  was  escorted  to  and  from  the 
theatre  by  a  triumphal  procession,  and  offered  a  golden 
crown. 

At  present  he  is  a  senator  of  the  kingdom  of  Italy. 


188.    ANCIENT  BASILICAS. 

Courts  of  justice  in  Rome  were  held  in  basilicas,  and 
the  edifices  thus  named  were  subsequently  used  as 
Christian  churches. 

The  plan  on  which  they  were  all  constructed,  no  mat- 
ter how  great  their  size,  was  nearly  uniform ;  and  they 
were  often  characterized  by  great  splendor. 

They  had  a  central  nave  much  longer  than  wide  :  on 
each  side  of  this  nave  was  a  row  of  columns,  which 
separated  it  from  the  side-aisles. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


225 


At  the  end  of  the  edifice  farthest  from  the  entrance 
was  a  circular  arch,  and  behind  it  a  semicircular  space 
which  was  used  as  a  court  of  law  and  justice  ;  the  cen- 
tral portion  of  the  building  being  devoted  to  business, 
and  often  used  as  an  exchange. 

When  Christianity  supplanted  heathenism  in  Rome, 
these  basilicas  were  used  as  places  of  worship. 

The  heathen  temples  had  not  been  built  for  the  ad- 
mission of  large  bodies  of  people,  and  had  been  pol- 
luted by  sacrifices  to  heathen  gods.  The  basilicas  were 
free  from  this  reproach  :  hence,  from  the  beginning  of 
the  fourth  to  the  eighth  century,  they  were  appropriated 
to  the  uses  of  divine  worship. 

The  oldest  basilica  is  St.  John  Lateran  in  Rome, 
built  289  B.C.,  which  became  the  first  Christian  church 
in  that  city.  In  front  of  this  church  stands  the  obe- 
lisk of  the  Lateran,  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high, 
the  oldest  object  in  Rome,  being  referred  by  transla- 
tions of  hieroglyphics  to  the  year  1740  B.C.  It  was 
brought  from  the  Temple  of  the  Sun  at  Heliopolis  to 
Alexandria,  by  Constantine,  and  removed  by  his  son  to 
Rome,  where  it  was  used  to  ornament  the  Circus  Maxi- 
mus,  and  was  removed  to  its  present  site  by  Fortana, 
for  Sixtus  V. 


189.    THE  BRAVEST  MAN  IN  ENGLAND. 

Rev.  Mr.  Narcross  of  Framlingham  willed  the  sum 
of  five  hundred  pounds  to  the  bravest  man  in  England. 

The  Duke  of  Wellington,  being  applied  to  by  the 
executors  of  the  estate,  replied,  "  It  is  generally  thought 
that  the  battle  of  Waterloo  was  one  of  the  greatest 
battles  ever  fought  by  the  English.  The  success  of 
the  battle  turned  upon  the  closing  of  the  gates  of  Hou- 


226 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


gomont.  These  gates  were  closed  in  the  most  coura- 
geous manner,  at  the  very  nick  of  time,  by  Sir  James 
Macdonnel ;  and  he  is  the  man  to  whom  you  should  pay 
the  five  hundred  pounds." 

When  Sir  James  was  informed  of  their  decision,  he 
replied,  "  I  cannot  claim  all  the  credit  of  closing  the 
gates  of  Hougomont.  My  sergeant,  John  Graham, 
seeing  with  me  the  importance  of  the  step,  rushed  for- 
ward to  help  me ;  and  by  your  leave  I  will  share  the 
legacy  with  him."    His  request  was  granted. 


190.    THE  FOUNDER  OF  MORMONISM. 

The  founder  of  a  religion  is  one  who  gives  it  form 
and  character  among  men  merely,  claiming  always  a 
divine  right,  or  inspiration.  Through  all  the  ages  of 
the  world's  history,  in  every  land,  there  have  arisen 
false  prophets ;  and  the  United  States  of  America  and 
the  nineteenth  century  form  no  exception. 

Joseph  Smith,  the  founder  of  the  religious  and  social 
system  of  the  Mormons,  or,  as  they  call  themselves, 
"  Latter-day  Saints,"  was  born  in  Sharon,  Windsor 
County,  Vt.,  Dec.  23,  1805.  On  Sept.  21,  1823,  Smith 
claimed  to  have  a  revelation  from  heaven,  informing 
him  of  various  important  particulars,  as,  "that  his  sins 
were  forgiven,  and  his  prayers  heard ;  that  the  cove- 
nant which  God  made  with  ancient  Israel  was  at  hand, 
to  be  fulfilled ;  that  the  preparatory  work  for  the  Sec- 
ond Coming  of  the  Messiah  was  speedily  to  commence ; 
that  the  time  was  at  hand  for  the  gospel  to  be  preached 
in  its  power  and  fulness  to  all  nations  ;  and  that  Smith 
was  chosen  to  be  an  instrument,  in  the  hands  of  God, 
to  bring  about  some  of  His  purposes  in  this  glorious 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


227 


dispensation."  Besides  all  this,  he  claimed  that  the 
angel  gave  him  a  brief  sketch  of  the  history  of  the  abo- 
riginal inhabitants  of  America,  —  "of  their  righteous- 
ness and  of  their  iniquity,  and  of  the  blessing  of  God 
being  finally  withdrawn  from  them."  He  was  also  in- 
formed where  to  find  certain  gold  plates  containing 
an  abridged  record  of  the  ancient  prophets  that  had 
existed  on  the  American  continent.  These  records, 
he  said,  contained  the  primitive  history  of  America, 
from  its  first  settlement  by  a  colony  that  came  from 
the  Tower  of  Babel,  at  the  confusion  of  languages,  to 
the  beginning  of  the  fifth  century  of  the  Christian 
era. 

A  prophet  called  Mormon  had  been  commissioned  by 
God  to  write  an  abridgment  of  all  their  prophecies, 
histories,  etc.,  and  to  hide  it  in  the  earth  until  God 
should  see  fit  to  bring  it  forth,  and  "unite  it  with  the 
Bible,  for  the  accomplishment  of  His  purposes  in' the 
last  day." 

At  length,  after  due  probation,  the  angel  of  the  Lord, 
on  Sept.  22,  1827,  was  said  to  have  placed  in  Smith's 
hands  the  wonderful  records. 

This  is  the  famous  "Book  of  Mormon,"  or  "Golden 
Book,"  believed  by  the  followers  of  Smith  (hence  called 
Mormons)  to  be  of  equal  authority  with  the  Jewish  and 
Christian  Scriptures,  and  to  be  an  indispensable  sup- 
plement to  them.  In  A.D.  420  the  gold  plates,  eight 
inches  long,  and  six  inches  wide,  and  forming  a  book 
six  inches  in  thickness,  bound  together  with  three 
rings,  were  sealed  up  in  a  stone  box,  and  secreted 
until  found,  as  alleged,  under  divine  guidance,  by  Mr. 
Smith. 

The  inscriptions  on  the  plates  were  in  the  reformed 
Egyptian  tongue,  and  were  translated  by  means  of  a 


228 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


pair  of  mystical  spectacles  which  accompanied  the  vol- 
ume, called  Urim  and  Thummim,  so  that  Mr.  Smith 
found  no  difficulty  in  deciphering  the  text.  The  "  Book 
of  Mormon "  appeared  before  the  public  in  print  in 
1830.  Attention  was  soon  drawn  to  the  newly  pub- 
lished  work,  and  a  controversy  arose  as  to  its  real 
authorship.  Evidence  was  soon  brought  forward  to 
show,  that,  with  the  exception  of  certain  illiterate  inter- 
polations, the  so-called  "  Book  of  Mormon  "  was  really 
borrowed  or  stolen  nearly  verbatim  from  a  manuscript 
romance  written  by  Solomon  Spalding,  who  died  in 
1 8 16. 

Undeterred,  however,  by  exposure,  ridicule,  and  hos 
tility,  Smith,  armed  with  this  book  as  the  basis  of  his 
teaching,  began  to  preach  in  1830,  and  soon  found  fol- 
lowers ;  so  that  on  April  6,  1830,  the  "  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  "  was  organized  in  the  town 
of  Manchester,  N.Y.  They  were  fiercely  attacked  by 
orthodox  Christians,  and  were  obliged  to  turn  their 
steps  westward. 

In  1832  Brigham  Young  joined  the  society.  They 
were  driven  from  place  to  place,  farther  and  farther 
west,  but  rapidly  gaining  in  numbers,  until  finally,  in 
1844,  Smith,  who  had  been  incarcerated  in  a  jail  in 
Illinois,  was  murdered  by  a  mob.  After  this  disaster 
to  the  new  sect,  Brigham  Young  was  elected  "  prophet," 
and  a  new  emigration  was  decided  upon.  Under  his 
guidance,  about  sixteen  thousand  persons  crossed  the 
prairie  desert  to  Salt-Lake  valley,  involving  a  journey 
of  two  years,  and  founded  Salt-Lake  City.  This  city 
has  grown  steadily  in  importance,  and  is  now  the  capi 
tal  of  Utah  Territory.  It  is  estimated  that  the  new 
sect  now  comprises  two  hundred  thousand  members, 
including  about  fifty  thousand  living  in  other  countries; 


# 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


229 


for  their  missionaries  have  traversed  all  lands,  and  re- 
ceived large  accessions  to  their  numbers  in  almost  every 
country  of  Europe. 

The  Mormons  are  noted  for  their  frugality  and  thrift. 
Polygamy  was  originally  condemned  by  the  "Book  of 
Mormon,"  but  in  1843  Smith  claimed  to  have  received 
a  revelation  recommending  the  adoption  of  the  custom. 
Many  Mormons,  however,  are  not  polygamists. 

THE   MORMON  CREED. 

I.  God  is  a  person  with  the  form  and  flesh  of  man. 
11.  Man  is  a  part  of  the  substance  of  God,  and  will  himseli 
become  a  god. 

in.  Man  was  not  created  by  God,  but  existed  from  all  eter- 
nity, and  will  never  cease  to  exist. 

iv.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  original  or  birth  sin. 

v.  The  earth  is  only  one  of  many  inhabited  spheres. 

vi.  God  is  president  of  men  made  gods,  angels,  good  men, 

and  spirits  waiting  to  receive  a  tabernacle  of  flesh. 

VII.  Man's  household  of  wives  is  his  kingdom,  not  for  earth 

only,  but  also  in  his  future  state. 

VIII.  Mormonism  is  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth. 


191.    THE  EPIC  POEM  OF  SPAIN. 

The  first  monument  of  the  Spanish,  or,  as  it  is  some- 
times called,  the  Castilian  tongue,  and  the  oldest  epic 
in  any  of  the  romance  languages,  is  the  poem  of  the 
"Cid." 

This  poem,  consisting  of  three  thousand  lines,  is 
valuable  as  a  living  picture  of  the  manners  and  customs 
of  the  eleventh  century.  It  celebrates  the  achievements 
of  the  most  romantic  hero  of  Spanish  tradition,  —  the 
Cid,  or  my  Lord. 

Perhaps  no  hero  of  any  country  has  been  so  honored 


230 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


by  his  country,  and  he  is  still  so  sacredly  dear  to  his 
countrymen  that  to  say  "  By  the  faith  of  Roderigo  " 
is  considered  the  strongest  vow  of  loyalty.  The  author 
of  the  poem  is  unknown ;  but  it  cannot  have  been 
written  later  than  the  twelfth  century,  and  consequently 
about  fifty  years  after  the  death  of  the  hero  whose 
name  and  achievements  it  celebrates.  The  poem 
throughout  is  striking  and  original,  and  breathes  the 
true  Castilian  spirit. 

Dr.  Henry  Coppee,  in  his  "  Conquest  of  Spain  by  the 
Arab  Moors,"  says  of  the  "  Poema  del  Cid,"  — 

"Based  upon  history,  although  without  dramatic  form,  it  is 
essentially  dramatic  in  character,  and  presents  to  us  the  events 
in  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries  with  the  rarest  local 
coloring. 

"  By  the  aid  of  these  documents,  we  discern  the  colossal  figure 
of  a  warrior  and  a  statesman,  who  although  noble  by  birth,  like 
thousands  of  others,  owed  his  promotion  and  his  fame  to  his  own 
good  sword,  wielded  mostly  against  the  infidel,  as  a  champion  of 
the  Spanish  king  and  of  Christian  Spain ;  sometimes  as  the  ally 
of  one  Moorish  chief  against  the  encroachments  of  another; 
sometimes  as  an  exile  from  royal  envy  and  injustice,  striking  out 
'for  his  own  hand,'  and  carving  a  realm  for  himself.  There  are, 
in  this  changing  history,  so  many  dissolving  views,  that  baffled 
historians  have  held  high  controversy,  not  only  as  to  the  deeds 
ascribed  to  him,  but  as  to  his  very  existence.  The  final  and  logi- 
cal acknowledgment  of  the  '  Cid '  is  probably  due  to  the  decision 
of  the  learned  Niebuhr." 

Southey,  in  his  "Chronicle  of  the  Cid"  (1808), 
has  collected  all  that  is  known  of  this  extraordinary 
hero. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


231 


192.   THE  LARGEST  STATUE  IN  THE  WORLD. 

The  largest  statue  in  the  world  is  that  of  "  Liberty 
Enlightening  the  World,"  to  be  erected  on  Bedloe's 
Island,  in  New- York  Harbor. 

This  statue  was  a  gift  to  the  people  of  the  United 
States  from  the  people  of  France,  and  was  intended  to 
foster  the  friendly  feeling  existing  between  the  two 
countries. 

The  statue,  which  represents  a  female  figure  stand- 
ing upright,  and  holding  a  torch  high  above  her  head 
(signifying  the  light  cast  by  the  broad  rays  of  liberty), 
is  made  of  repousse  copper,  one-eighth  of  an  inch  in 
thickness,  which  is  kept  in  position  by  iron  plates  and 
braces.    The  dimensions  of  the  statue  are,  — 


From  bottom  of  plinth  to  top  of  torch  .  .  151. 41  feet. 
From  heel  to  top  of  head     .       .       .       .111  " 

Height  of  head  13^  " 

Width  of  eye  28  inches. 

Length  of  nose     .       .       .       .    •  .  45  " 

Length  of  forefinger  feet. 


The  statue  stands  on  a  pedestal  eighty-nine  feet  high. 
The  head  will  easily  accommodate  forty  persons  ;  and 
the  torch,  which  is  reached  by  a  spiral  staircase,  will 
hold  twelve  persons. 

The  total  cost  of  the  statue,  including  gifts,  gratui- 
tous work,  and  losses  sustained  by  those  who  gave  valu- 
able assistance,  is  about  two  hundred  thousand  dollars. 
The  cost  of  the  statue  proper  is  about  forty  thousand 
dollars.  It  was  designed  and  executed  by  M.  Bar- 
tholdi,  a  French  architect  and  sculptor,  and  was  for- 
mally received  in  New  York,  June  19,  1885.  The 
heights  of  other  famous  statues  of  the  world  are  as 
follows  :  — 


232 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Jupiter  Olympus  43  feet. 

Memnon  (about)  60  " 

Borromeo  at  Lake  Maggiore     .       .       .  66  " 

Arminius  in  Westphalia  (about)       •       .  92  " 

Colossus  at  Rhodes  "  .  105  " 

Nero   118  " 


193.   GOG  AND  MAGOG. 

The  tutelary  deities  of  London  have  a  vague  tradi- 
tional connection  with  the  Gog  and  Magog  of  the 
Scriptures.  In  the  Book  of  Genesis,  Magog  is  spoken 
of  as  the  son  of  Japheth.  Ezekiel  speaks  of  Gog,  prince 
of  Magog.  Gog  and  Magog  are  spoken  of  in  the  Book  of 
Revelation  (Rev.  xxii.  8).  Magog  is  fabulously  consid- 
ered by  some  the  father  of  the  Scythians  and  Tartars. 
The  Persians  also  claim  to  be  descendants  of  Magog, 
and  the  Goths  of  Gog. 

The  famous  figures  of  Gog  and  Magog  in  Guildhall, 
London,  were  carved  in  1708  by  Richard  Saunders. 
They  are  made  of  wood,  and  are  about  fourteen  feet 
high,  and  take  the  places  of  two  similar  effigies  de- 
stroyed in  the  London  fire  of  1665. 

According  to  Caxton's  account,  Gog  and  Magog  are 
the  legendary  survivors  of  a  race  of  giants  who  for- 
merly inhabited  the  country  of  Albion  (Britain). 

According  to  one  legend,  they  were  found  in  Britain 
by  Brute,  a  younger  son  of  Anthenor  of  Troy,  who 
invaded  Albion,  and  founded  the  city  of  London,  at 
first  called  Troy-novant,  three  thousand  years  ago.  The 
Trojans  took  them  captive,  and  chained  them  to  the 
gates  of  a  palace  on  the  site  of  Guildhall,  and  kept 
them  there  as  porters.  When  they  died,  their  effigies 
were  set  up  in  their  places. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS.  233 

There  is  another  legend  concerning  them  ;  but,  what- 
ever the  facts  may  be,  the  two  giants  have  been  the 
pride  of  London  from  time  immemorial. 

On  London  Bridge  they  welcomed  Henry  V.  in  141 5  ; 
they  welcomed  Henry  VI.  to  London  in  1432  ;  and  in 
1554,  Philip  and  Mary.  In  1558  they  stood  by  Temple 
Bar  when  Elizabeth  passed  through  the  city  gate  to 
take  possession  of  her  kingdom.  The  ancient  effigies, 
which  were  made  of  wicker-work  and  pasteboard,  were 
carried  through  the  streets  in  the  Lord  Mayor's  shows ; 
and  copies  of  the  present  giants  were  in  the  show  of 
1837. 

Formerly  other  towns  in  England  had  their  giants, 
and  there  are  some  famous  and  some  very  large  ones 
in  several  Continental  cities.  The  Antigonus  of  Ant- 
werp is  forty  feet  high,  and  was  formerly  carried  in  the 
most  solemn  religious,  as  well  as  civic,  processions. 
Though  it  is  now  impossible  to  ascertain  the  facts, 
there  can  be  little  doubt  that  all  these  civic  giants  are 
exaggerated  representatives  of  real  persons  and  events. 


194.    THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 

In  the  central  part  of  North  America,  along  the  val- 
leys of  the  Mississippi  and  the  Ohio  rivers,  from  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  to  the  Great  Lakes,  there  are  remains 
of  the  works  of  an  extinct  race  of  people,  now  known 
as  the  "  Mound-Builders."  Very  little  is  known  of 
their  history,  except  that  they  were  a  people  akin  to 
those  who  settled  in  Mexico  and  Central  America,  and 
that  they  were  a  very  different  race  of  people  from  the 
North-American  Indians. 

They  are  generally  considered  the  aborigines  of  this 


234 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


continent,  which  is  fast  proving  itself  to  be  as  old,  if 
not  older,  than  the  eastern  continent. 

At  what  time  these  people  made  their  appearance  in 
North  America,  and  erected  the  mounds  from  which 
they  are  named  "Mound-Builders,"  is  uncertain,  and 
can  never,  perhaps,  be  fully  ascertained ;  but  antiquari- 
ans who  have  investigated  these  wonderful  monuments, 
assure  us  that  they  have  full  proof  that  the  builders 
enjoyed  a  high  state  of  civilization,  were  expert  agri- 
culturists, good  mathematicians,  adepts  in  the  arts,  and 
devotees  of  some  form,  or  of  different  forms,  of  reli- 
gious faith. 

Of  these  mounds,  or  tumuli,  it  is  said  that  ten  thou- 
sand are  found  in  the  State  of  Ohio  alone.  Some  of 
these  have  evidently  been  built  as  mausoleums,  others 
for  defence,  still  others  as  altars  on  which  to  offer  sac- 
rifices ;  but  it  is  difficult  to  assign  a  reason  for  those 
built  in  the  shape  of  various  animals,  such  as  alligators, 
buffaloes,  eagles,  serpents,  etc. 

Several  of  these  mounds  cover  many  hundred  acres 
of  ground.  One  near  Newark,  O.,  forms  a  perfect  cir- 
cle a  mile  in  circumference,  and  twenty  feet  high.  It 
is  large  enough  to  accommodate  the  county  fair  of  the 
Agricultural  Society ;  and  upon  it,  beech,  maple,  and 
hickory  trees  have  grown  luxuriantly,  showing,  it  is 
believed,  that  the  erection  of  this  mound  far  antedates 
the  time  of  Columbus.  In  the  same  county  is  the 
"Alligator  Mound,"  which  is  two  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  long,  and  fifty  feet  wide.  The  famous  "  Serpent 
Mound,"  on  Brush  Creek,  Adams  County,  O.,  is  more 
than  one  thousand  feet  in  length  :  the  embankment  is 
five  feet  high,  and  has  a  base  of  thirty  feet  at  the 
centre  of  the  body,  diminishing  slightly  toward  the 
head  and  tail.    In  West  Virginia,  there  stands  a  sepul- 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


235 


chral  mound,  which  is  seventy  feet  in  vertical  height, 
and  has  a  circumference  of  nine  hundred  feet. 

In  the  mounds  of  Ohio,  there  is  frequently  a  com- 
bination of  a  square  and  two  circles ;  and,  wherever 
found,  they  correspond  in  this  respect,  that  the  sides 
of  the  squares  measure  exactly  one  thousand  and  eighty 
feet,  and  the  adjacent  circles  have  a  circumference  of 
seventeen  hundred  and  eight  hundred  feet  respectively. 

In  the  construction  of  the  military  mounds,  still 
greater  mathematical  skill  is  shown.  They  are  erected 
on  high  ground,  and  often  in  groups  extending  several 
miles,  and  all  connected  one  with  another. 

Such  of  the  sepulchral  mounds  as  have  been  exca- 
vated are  found  to  contain  human  bones ;  but  they 
crumble  into  dust  when  exposed  to  the  air,  so  that  no 
estimate  of  the  size  or  national  characteristics  of  the 
race  can  be  formed.  In  the  figures  of  heads  on  the 
pottery,  and  especially  on  clay  pipe-bowls  found  in 
the  mines,  there  is  a  strong  resemblance  to  the  sculp- 
tured heads  found  in  the  ruins  in  Yucatan. 

It  is  thought  that  the  Aztecs,  found  in  Mexico  by 
Cortez ;  and  the  ancient  Peruvians,  whose  empire  was 
destroyed  by  Pizarro,  —  may  have  been  remnants  of  the 
Mound-Builders,  who  were  driven  south  by  invading 
hordes  (such  as  our  Indian  tribes)  from  the  other  conti- 
nent across  Behring's  Strait ;  but  this  is  all  conjecture. 

In  the  Mississippi  valley,  the  mounds  are  very  nu- 
merous ;  and  it  is  said  that  some  of  them,  as  is  shown 
by  the  growth  of  trees  and  by  the  excavation  of  antique 
articles,  cannot  be  less  than  two  thousand  years  old. 
One  of  these  represents  a  man  with  two  heads ;  the 
body  being  fifty  feet  long,  and  twenty-five  feet  across 
the  breast. 

Who  the  Mound-Builders  were,  remains  to  be  an- 


236 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


swered ;  yet,  so  long  as  the  mounds  exist,  they  testify 
to  the  fact,  that,  at  a  very  remote  age,  a  race  of  people, 
now  extinct,  was  in  possession  of  this  country,  from 
the  frozen  lakes  of  the  North  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
and  from  Vermont  to  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

For  further  information,  see  "Prehistoric  Times," 
Lubbock ;  "  The  Recent  Origin  of  Man,"  Southall ; 
"  Primitive  Man,"  Figuier ;  "  Prehistoric  Races  of  the 
United  States,"  Foster. 


195.    "A  DREAM  OF  FAIR  WOMEN"  (TENNYSON). 

In  his  "Dream  of  Fair  Women,"  Tennyson  has  not 
introduced  his  characters  by  name,  but  by  some  lead- 
ing event  in  the  life  of  each.  Thus,  in  verses  21  to 
24:  — 

"At  length  I  saw  a  lady  within  call, 

Stiller  than  chiselled  marble,  standing  there; 
A  daughter  of  the  gods,  divinely  tall, 
And  most  divinely  fair. 

Her  loveliness  with  shame  and  with  surprise 
Froze  my  swift  speech  ;  she  turning  on  my  face 

The  star-like  sorrows  of  immortal  eyes, 
Spoke  slowly  in  her  place. 

■  I  had  great  beauty  ;  ask  thou  not  my  name  : 
No  one  can  be  more  wise  than  destiny. 

Many  drew  swords  and  died.    Where'er  I  came 
I  brought  calamity.' " 

Helen  of  Troy  is  readily  recognized.  According  to 
the  poet,  she  was  the  daughter  of  Leda  and  Jupiter, 
and  the  most  beautiful  woman  of  her  age.  She  had 
suitors  from  all  parts  of  Greece,  but  accepted  Mene- 
laus,  King  of  Sparta.    Three  years  after  her  marriage 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS.  2tf 

she  eloped  with  Paris  (son  of  the  King  of  Troy)  :  this 
brought  on  a  war  between  the  Greeks  and  the  Trojans, 
which  lasted  for  ten  years,  ending  in  the  destruction 
of  Troy.  This  series  of  events  forms  the  subject  of 
Homer's  Iliad,  and  the  return  of  the  Greeks  from 
Troy  his  Odyssey. 

"  And  turning  I  appealed 

To  one  that  stood  beside." 


"'My  youth,'  she  said,  '  was  blasted  with  a  curse : 
This  woman  was  the  cause.'  " 

Iphigenia  is  here  introduced.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  Agamemnon,  King  of  Argos.  Her  father  having 
offended  the  goddess  Diana,  he  had  sworn  to  propitiate 
her  by  offering  as  a  sacrifice  the  most  beautiful  thing 
that  should  come  into  his  possession  during  the  year : 
this  was  an  infant  daughter.  He  deferred,  however, 
the  payment  of  his  vow  until  Iphigenia  had  grown  to 
womanhood.  When  the  Greeks  were  ready  to  sail  for 
Troy,  they  were  detained  by  contrary  winds  ;  and  Cal- 
chis  the  seer  said  that  Diana  was  angry  because  Aga- 
memnon had  not  paid  his  vow.  This  he  prepared  at 
once  to  do ;  but,  just  as  Iphigenia  was  about  to  be  sac- 
rificed, Diana  came  to  her  rescue,  substituted  a  hind 
in  her  place,  and  carried  Iphigenia  away  to  Taurus, 
where  she  became  her  priestess.  Her  story  is  the  sub- 
ject of  three  tragedies,  by  Euripides,  Racine,  and 
Goethe,  and  has  been  a  favorite  theme  for  poets. 


"  I  turning  saw,  throned  on  a  flowery  rise, 
One  sitting  on  a  crimson  scarf  unrolled ; 
A  queen,  with  swarthy  cheeks  and  bold  black  eyes, 
Brow-bound  with  burning  gold." 


238 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Cleopatra,  the  last  Queen  of  Egypt  (69-30  B.C.). 

..."  So  stood  I,  when  that  flow 
Of  music  left  the  lips  of  her  that  died 
To  save  her  father's  vow ; 

The  daughter  of  the  warrior  Gileadite, 
A  maiden  pure." 

Jephtha's  daughter.    (See  Judg.  xi.  30). 


u  *  Alas  !  alas  ! '  a  low  voice,  full  of  care, 

Murmured  beside  me  :  '  Turn  and  look  on  me : 
I  am  that  Rosamond,  whom  men  call  fair, 
If  what  I  was  I  be.' " 

"Fair  Rosamond"  was  Jane  Clifford,  daughter  of 
Lord  Clifford,  loved  by  Henry  IP.,  who  kept  her  con- 
cealed in  a  labyrinth  at  Woodstock.  She  was  poisoned 
by  Henry's  queen,  the  "  angered  Eleanor,"  in  the  year 
1 1 77. 

References  to  Rosamond  are  found  in  two  of  Sir 
Walter  Scott's  novels,  — "The  Talisman  "  and  "Wood- 
stock." Her  sad  story  has  been  also  a  favorite  theme 
with  poets. 


"Morn  broadened  on  the  borders  of  the  dark, 
Ere  I  saw  her,  who  clasped  in  her  last  trance 
Her  murdered  father's  head." 

This  was  Margaret  Roper,  daughter  of  Sir  Thomas 
More,  a  famous  English  statesman,  and  the  author  of 
"Utopia"  (q.v.).  When  Henry  VIII.  of  England  as- 
sumed the  title  of  "Head  of  the  Church,"  More  refused 
to  take  the  oath  to  him  under  that  title.  He  was  tried, 
condemned  for  treason,  and  executed  in  the  Tower  of 
London  (July  6,  1535);  and  his  head  was  exposed  to 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


239 


public  view  on  London  Bridge.  His  daughter  Marga- 
ret, devotedly  faithful  to  her  father  through  his  perse- 
cution, succeeded  in  obtaining  possession  of  his  head. 
She  guarded  it  with  great  care  during  her  lifetime,  and 
requested  that  at  her  death  it  should  be  placed  in  her 
arms,  and  buried  with  her. 

..."  Or  Joan  of  Arc, 
A  light  of  ancient  France." 

Also  called  the  "  Maid  of  Orleans."  She  was  born 
at  Domremy,  Lorraine,  about  141 1.  She  restored 
Charles  VII.  to  the  throne  of  France,  but  was  finally, 
in  143 1,  taken  prisoner,  and  burned  in  Rouen  by  order 
of  the  English,  on  a  charge  of  witchcraft. 


"  Or  her,  who  knew  that  Love  can  vanquish  Death, 
Who  kneeling,  with  one  arm  about  her  king, 
Drew  forth  the  poison  with  her  balmy  breath." 

Eleanor  of  Castile,  the  first  wife  of  Edward  I.  of 
England,  is  here  referred  to.  The  incident  took  place 
previous  to  the  accession  of  Edward  to  the  throne. 

Alfred  Tennyson,  the  author  of  this  poem,  was  born 
in  Lincolnshire,  England,  in  1809.  His  first  poems 
were  published  when  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age  ; 
but  it  was  not  until  he  was  thirty-three  years  old  that 
he  wrote  "Morte  d'Arthur,"  "Locksley  Hall,"  and  the 
"Two  Voices,"  which  made  him  famous. 

In  1850,  on  the  death  of  William  Wordsworth,  he 
became  poet-laureate,  or  poet  to  the  crown.  His  "Idyls 
of  the  King,"  consisting  of  a  series  of  poems  taken 
from  legends  about  King  Arthur,  is  considered  the 
finest  epic  poem  the  English  language  has  produced 
for  two  hundred  years.  Lord  Tennyson's  home,  in  the 
Isle  of  Wight,  is  called  Farringford. 


240 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


196.    THE  CENTRAL-PARK  OBELISK. 

The  history  of  the  obelisk  in  Central  Park,  New 
York,  dates  back  (according  to  Dr.  Brugsch  Bey,  the 
great  Egyptologist)  to  the  time  of  Thutmes  III.,  1600 
B.C.  Some  authorities  maintain  that  he  is  the  Pha- 
raoh, who,  with  his  host,  was  overthrown  in  the  Red 
Sea.  The  obelisk  bears  three  separate  sets  of  hiero- 
glyphic inscriptions  (translated  by  Dr.  Brugsch  Bey), 
marking  three  important  epochs  in  the  history  of 
Egypt;  viz.,— 

I.  Thutmes  III.,  "the  Alexander  the  Great  of  the  Pharaonic 
period,"  or  Egypt  in  the  height  of  her  prosperity. 

II.  Rameses  II.,  the  epoch  when  Egypt  had  ceased  to  conquer, 
and  was  merely  defending  herself  against  Asiatic  preponderance. 

III.  Usorkon  I.,  the  epoch  of  the  decline  of  the  ancient  Egyp- 
tian Empire. 

Thutmes  III.,  wishing  to  honor  the  solar  divinity  at 
On  (Heliopolis),  caused  two  obelisks  to  be  erected  in 
front  of  the  Temple  of  the  Sun  at  that  place,  as  a  thank- 
offering  for  the  protection  this  divinity  had  afforded 
him  in  his  campaigns  in  Central  Africa  and  Mesopo- 
tamia. His  inscriptions  form  the  middle  perpendicular 
lines  of  each  face  of  the  obelisk. 

Three  centuries  later  Rameses  II.  had  these  two 
obelisks  removed  to  Alexandria ;  and  when  his  wars 
were  ended  he  caused  his  name  and  titles  to  be  in- 
scribed upon  the  obelisks  on  each  side  of  the  inscrip- 
tions of  his  renowned  ancestor,  Thutmes  III. 

King  Usorkon  I.  (933  B.C.)  is  supposed  to  have 
visited  Alexandria,  and  to  have  ordered  his  name  also 
to  be  inscribed  upon  the  obelisk  of  his  ancestors,  the 
two  greatest  Pharaohs  of  Egyptian  history;  for  we 
see  them  on  the  extreme  edges  in  small  characters. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


241 


In  1877  Ismail  Pasha,  father  of  the  present  Khedive  of 
Egypt,  signified  his  wish  to  present  an  obelisk  to  the 
United  States.  After  the  selection  had  been  made, 
the  entire  control  of  the  operations  attending  its  re- 
moval was  intrusted  to  the  late  Lieut. -Commander 
Henry  H.  Gorringe,  U.S.N.,  who  conducted  the  whole 
affair  in  a  most  satisfactory  manner,  from  the  taking- 
down  of  the  obelisk  at  Alexandria,  to  the  re-erecting 
of  it  on  its  present  site. 

The  time  occupied  in  its  removal  was  exactly  one 
year  and  four  months  :  the  removal  of  the  obelisk  of 
Luxor  to  Paris  occupied  six  years'  time. 

The  whole  cost  of  transportation,  about  $105,000,  was 
defrayed  by  Mr.  William  H.  Vanderbilt  of  New  York. 

The  machinery  for  moving  this  great  monolith  was 
all  made  in  this  country  :  it  consisted  simply  of  a  pair 
of  iron  trunnions  and  a  pair  of  steel  derricks. 

The  stone  was  carried  overland  seven  miles  to  the 
government  dock  at  Alexandria,  and  was  then  put  in 
the  hold  of  the  steamship  "  Dessoug"  (a  vessel  of  six- 
teen hundred  tons),  which  reached  New  York,  July  20, 
1880. 

The  work  of  moving  it  across  the  city  was  skilfully 
managed  ;  and  exactly  at  noon  on  the  22d  of  January, 
188 1,  this  stranger  from  the  banks  of  the  Nile  was 
placed  on  the  site  prepared  for  it  in  the  New  World,  in 
the  presence  of  about  five  thousand  people. 

The  height  of  the  obelisk,  including  the  base  on 
which  it  stands,  is  80  feet,  1 1  inches.  The  weight, 
with  pedestal  and  foundation,  is  712,000  pounds.  The 
total  elevation  from  mean  high  water  to  the  top  of  the 
obelisk  is  194  feet,  6  inches. 

This  monument  of  antiquity  is  an  inestimable  treas- 
ure to  our  country.    We  can  hardly  appreciate  that 


242 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


we  have,  standing  in  New  York,  a  column  upon  which 
Moses  and  Aaron  looked,  and  whose  hieroglyphics  they 
could  doubtless  read ;  that  Darius,  Cambyses,  Alexan- 
der the  Great,  the  Ptolemies,  Julius  Caesar,  Cleopatra, 
Mark  Antony,  and  Augustus  were  familiar  with  it. 

Grave  fears  are  entertained  that  it  will  not  stand  our 
Northern  climate.  Some  evidences  of  its  beginning  to 
crumble  are  already  noticeable. 

This  obelisk  is  red  granite  of  Syene,  and  bears  the 
name  of  "Cleopatra's  Needle." 

The  other  of  the  two  obelisks  erected  by  Thutmes 
HI.,  was  removed  to  London,  and  placed  on  the  Thames 
embankment,  in  1878. 


197.    THE  BONE  SAID  TO  BE  THE  NUCLEUS  OF  THE 
RESURRECTION  BODY. 

"  God  formed  them  from  the  dust,  and  He  once  more 
Will  give  them  strength  and  beauty  as  before." 

"The  Emperor  Adrian  —  the  sceptic  whose  epigram- 
matic address  to  his  soul  in  prospect  of  death  (trans- 
lated by  Byron)  is  well  known  —  asked  Rabbi  Joshua 
Ben  Hananiah,  in  the  course  of  an  interview  following 
the  successful  siege  of  Bitter,  '  How  doth  a  man  re- 
vive again  in  the  world  to  come  ? '  He  answered,  and 
said,  'From  the  bone  Luz,  in  the  backbone.'  Saith 
he  to  him,  '  Demonstrate  this  to  me.'  Then  he  took 
Luz,  a  little  bone  out  of  the  backbone,  and  put  it  in 
water,  and  it  was  not  steeped ;  he  put  it  into  the  fire, 
and  it  was  not  burned  ;  he  brought  it  to  the  mill,  and 
that  could  not  grind  it ;  he  laid  it  on  the  anvil,  and 
knocked  it  with  a  hammer,  but  the  anvil  was  cleft, 
and  the  hammer  broken. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


243 


"  Butler,  in  his  *  Hudibras,'  erroneously  traces  to  the 
Rabbinic  belief,  the  modern  name,  os  sacrum;  its  origin 
really  being  due  to  the  custom  of  placing  it  upon  the 
altar  in  ancient  sacrifices." 

"The  learned  Rabbins  of  the  Jews 
Write,  there's  a  bone,  which  they  call  Luz. 
No  force  in  nature  can  do  hurt  thereto  ; 
And  therefore,  at  the  last  great  day, 
All  th'  other  members  shall,  they  say, 
Spring  out  of  this,  as  from  a  seed." 


198.    DYING  WORDS  OF   POPE   GREGORY  VII. 
(HILDEBRAND). 

"  I  have  loved  justice,  and  hated  iniquity ;  therefore  I  die  an 
exile." 

These  were  the  last  words  of  Pope  Gregory  VII. 
(Hildebrand),  one  of  the  most  illustrious  men  of  the 
Middle  Ages,  born  about  A.D.  1020. 

He  was  called  to  Rome  in  1049  by  Pope  Leo  IX.,  to 
assist  in  the  papal  councils  as  chancellor  and  cardinal ; 
and  he  held  this  office  for  twenty  years,  under  five  suc- 
cessive popes,  over  whom  he  exercised  the  influence  of 
a  great  mind. 

In  1073  Hildebrand  rose  to  the  papal  throne,  under 
the  title  of  Gregory  VII.  :  he  was  the  first  Pope  elected 
by  the  College  of  Cardinals. 

Until  his  time,  the  title  of  Pope  was  given  to  all 
bishops  alike :  he,  however,  in  1076,  decreed  that 
thenceforth  it  should  be  applied  only  to  the  Roman 
"papa,"  or  pontiff,  prefixing,  at  the  same  time,  sanctus, 
whence  the  modern  title,  "  His  Holiness  the  Pope." 

Pope  Gregory's  first  act  was  to  strike  a  blow  at  what 
was  called  the  "right  of  investiture,"  claimed  by  the 


244 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


emperors.  This  was  the  right  of  bestowing  on  abbots 
and  bishops  the  ring  and  crosier,  which  were  the  sym- 
bols of  their  office,  and  which  declared  them  to  be  the 
feudal  vassals  of  the  emperor.  Pope  Gregory  caused 
it  to  be  ordained  by  a  council,  that,  if  any  one  should 
accept  "investiture"  from  a  layman,  both  the  giver 
and  the  receiver  should  be  excommunicated,  claiming 
that  this  right  belonged  exclusively  to  the  Vicar  of 
Christ. 

The  emperor,  Henry  IV.,  of  Germany  set  this  decree 
at  defiance,  and,  assembling  the  nobles  and  prelates  at 
Worms,  deposed  the  Pope ;  whereupon  the  Pope  sol- 
emnly excommunicated  the  emperor  (1076),  and  ab- 
solved his  subjects  in  Germany  and  Italy  from  their 
oath  of  allegiance  to  him.  Henry,  enraged  at  this, 
prepared  for  war,  and  entered  Italy  to  subdue  his  pow- 
erful foe.  He  was  soon  made  to  feel,  however,  that 
unseen  power  that  had  arisen  to  sway  the  minds  of 
men.  In  every  part  of  his  empire,  monks  and  friars 
preached  against  him;  and  insurrections  arose  on  every 
hand,  until  at  last  Henry  was  forced  to  become  an 
humble  suitor  for  mercy  at  the  hands  of  Gregory. 

On  the  2 1st  of  January,  1077,  the  emperor,  Henry 
IV.,  the  most  powerful  sovereign  of  Europe,  proceeded 
to  the  Castle  of  Canossa,  Italy,  a  fortress  belonging  to 
the  Countess  Matilda,  to  seek  pardon  and  absolution 
from  the  Pope. 

He  was  made  to  suffer  the  deepest  humiliation  ;  and 
only  after  the  most  abject  confession  of  his  error,  and 
standing  for  three  days  in  an  outer  court  of  the  castle, 
amid  the  cold  of  winter,  barefoot,  and  clad  only  in  a 
woollen  shirt,  was  he  absolved,  and  the  interdict  re- 
moved. 

Henry  was  no  sooner  released  than  he  renewed  the 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


245 


war,  and  Gregory  was  forced  to  flee  from  Rome.  He 
died  in  exile  at  Salerno,  A.D.  1085. 

The  successors  of  Gregory  adhered  to  his  policy, 
until  at  length  the  German  emperor,  Henry  V.,  yielded  ; 
and  by  a  treaty  signed  at  Worms,  A.D.  1122,  he  for- 
mally resigned  all  claim  to  investitures. 

The  temporal  power  of  the  Pope  reached  its  zenith 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  twelfth  and  the  early  part  of 
the  thirteenth  centuries,  under  Pope  Innocent  III.  He 
claimed  to  be  sovereign  of  Europe,  —  an  earthly  king 
of  kings. 

After  the  thirteenth  century  the  papal  power  de- 
clined;  but  it  was  not  until  1606,  during  the  reign  of 
James  I.  of  England,  that  the  famous  Oath  of  Alle- 
giance was  drawn  up,  which  asserted  the  supremacy  of 
the  sovereign  in  ecclesiastical  matters,  denying  the 
right  of  the  Pope  to  depose  him,  or  to  absolve  his 
subjects  from  their  allegiance  to  him. 


199.    THE  ORIGINAL  BLUEBEARD. 

The  tale  of  Bluebeard  was  written  by  Perrault  in  the 
time  of  Louis  XIV.,  and  has  been  translated  from  the 
French  into  nearly  all  the  languages  of  Europe. 

It  is  supposed  that  the  idea  of  the  story  was  sug- 
gested to  Perrault  by  the  life  of  a  very  wicked  and 
atrocious  man  named  Giles  de  Laval. 

Giles  de  Laval,  Seigneur  de  Retz,  better  known  in 
French  history  as  Marshal  de  Retz,  was  born  in  France 
in  or  about  the  year  1396.  He  entered  the  service  of 
Charles  VII.,  and  proved  himself  a  brave  and  skilful 
soldier. 

He  inherited,  at  different  times,  three  large  estates, 


246 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


and  in  1432  was  considered  the  richest  subject  in 
France. 

This  immense  fortune  was  the  grand  cause  of  his 
ruin.  He  plunged  into  a  course  of  profligacy  and  de- 
bauchery which  rapidly  diminished  his  estate.  Yet, 
withal,  he  affected  great  pomp  and  splendor  in  religious 
ceremonies.  He  was  compelled  by  the  parliament  of 
Paris  to  stop  disposing  of  his  estates  ;  and,  craving  for 
wealth,  he  had  recourse  to  alchemy.  Failing  to  dis- 
cover the  art  of  changing  the  baser  metals  into  gold, 
he  next  turned  to  magic,  and  is  reported  to  have  made 
a  contract  with  Satan  to  give  him  every  thing  except 
his  own  soul  and  life  for  boundless  wealth.  It  was  at 
this  time  that  he  began  to  immolate  children.  The 
poor  creatures  were  decoyed  into  his  power,  and  made 
the  victims  of  his  iniquities  in  various  ways,  and  were 
finally  put  to  death,  and  their  blood  and  hearts  used  as 
charms  in  diabolical  rites. 

The  number  of  children  who  disappeared  became  so 
large,  that  the  authorities  took  steps  to  investigate  the 
matter. 

In  1440  Laval  was  arrested,  and  under  threats  of 
torture  confessed  his  misdeeds.  In  most  cases  he 
burned  the  bodies,  but  sufficient  remains  were  found 
to  indicate  forty-six  victims  at  his  castle  of  Chantoce 
and  eighty  at  Machecoul.  He  was  convicted,  and  exe- 
cuted in  December,  1440.  Probably  on  account  of  some 
personal  peculiarity,  Giles  de  Laval  became  remem- 
bered as  Barbe-blene,  whence  our  Bluebeard,  which 
speedily  became  a  name  of  terror. 

The  propensity  of  Bluebeard  in  the  children's  "  Blue- 
beard "  of  Perrault  is  not  to  kill  children,  but  to  marry 
wife  after  wife,  and  to  kill  them  in  succession,  and 
deposit  them  in  a  fatal  closet.    Each  young  wife  was 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


247 


intrusted  with  all  the  keys  of  the  castle,  with  strict 
injunctions,  on  pain  of  death,  not  to  open  one  special 
room ;  but  woman's  curiosity  in  each  case  cost  her  life, 
until  finally,  as  the  story  goes,  his  last  would-be  victim 
was  saved  by  the  timely  arrival  of  her  brothers.  She 
had,  during  the  absence  of  her  lord,  opened  the  for- 
bidden door,  and  found  the  closet  filled  with  the  dead 
bodies  of  his  former  wives.  She  dropped  the  keys  in 
her  terror,  and  could  by  no  means  obliterate  the  stain 
of  blood. 

Bluebeard,  on  his  return,  commands  her  to  prepare 
for  death  ;  but  by  the  arrival  of  her  brothers  her  Jife  is 
saved,  and  Bluebeard  put  to  death. 

Ludwick  Tieck  brought  out  a  drama  in  Berlin  on 
the  story  of  Bluebeard.  The  incident  about  the  doors 
and  the  keys  is  similar  to  that  mentioned  by  "The 
Third  Calender"  in  "The  Arabian  Nights;"  and,  in- 
deed, the  origin  of  the  story  might  be  relegated  to  the 
beginning  of  "The  Arabian  Nights,"  where  the  deceived 
Sultan  kills  wife  after  wife,  until  the  story-telling  wit  of 
one  checks  his  murders  by  exciting  his  curiosity. 


200.    THE  HIGHEST  MONUMENT  IN  THE  WORLD. 

The  monument  erected  in  the  city  of  Washington, 
D.C.,  to  the  memory  of  George  Washington,  first  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  is  the  highest  in  the  world. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  Washington,  Congress  recog- 
nized the  propriety  of  erecting  a  monument  to  his  mem- 
ory, and  passed  resolutions  to  that  effect;  but  no  funds 
were  appropriated,  and  for  years  no  further  steps  were 
taken. 

In  the  year  1833  the  National  Washington  Monu- 


248 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


ment  Society  was  formed,  to  take  the  matter  in  hand. 
The  plan  adopted  by  the  founders  was  to  unite  the 
efforts  of  the  people  of  the  whole  country  to  erect  a 
suitable  monument  to  President  Washington.  At  first, 
contributions  were  limited  to  a  dollar  annually  from  any 
one  person,  contributors  to  become  members  of  the 
society.  In  1836  advertisements  were  published,  in- 
viting designs  from  American  artists,  the  cost  of  the 
monument  being  estimated  at  $i,ooo,*ooo.  The  award 
was  given  to  Robert  Mills,  the  architect  of  the  Interior 
Department. 

In  January,  1848,  Congress  granted  to  the  society  a 
site  for  the  monument,  to  be  chosen  in  any  of  the  unoc- 
cupied public  grounds ;  and  the  spot  chosen  is  one  that 
affords  a  fine  view  of  it  from  both  land  and  water,  and 
overlooks  Washington,  Georgetown,  Alexandria,  Arling- 
ton, and  Mount  Vernon. 

The  corner-stone  was  laid  by  President  Polk,  July  4, 
1848 ;  and  the  work  was  then  pushed  until,  in  1854,  the 
shaft  reached  the  height  of  150  feet. 

Not  long  after  this  the  funds  of  the  society  gave  out, 
and  a  memorial  was  presented  to  Congress  asking  for 
assistance  from  that  body ;  but  no  visible  results  were 
obtained  until  1876,  when  the  sum  of  $200,000  was 
appropriated,  payable  in  annual  instalments  of  $50,000 
each.  The  work  was  pushed  with  all  possible  rapidity 
to  completion,  and  was  dedicated  Feb.  21,  1885  (the 
anniversary  of  Washington's  birth,  the  22d,  falling  on 
Sunday). 

The  monument,  as  it  stands  to-day,  differs  materially 
from  the  original  plan.  There  is  no  colonnade,  but 
only  the  mound  of  earth  covering  the  foundations ;  and 
the  marble  shaft  rises,  in  the  dignity  of  unadorned  sim- 
plicity, 555  feet  in  the  air.    The  base  of  the  shaft  is 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


249 


55  feet  square ;  and  it  tapers  gradually,  until,  at  the  500 
foot  point,  it  is  34  feet  5^  inches  square.  Here  the 
pyramidal  top  begins,  and  is  run  to  an  apex  55  feet 
above  the  square  masonry.  The  size  of  the  well  of  the 
shaft  is  twenty-five  feet  to  the  height  of  150  feet,  when 
it  increases  to  31  feet  5i  inches,  and  continues  so  to 
the  top. 

The  marble  used  for  the  completion  of  the  monument 
came,  for  the  most  part,  from  Maryland  quarries  :  it  is 
said  to  contain  eighteen  thousand  blocks  of  marble  two 
feet  thick. 

The  work  was  very  simple  until  the  last  courses  for 
the  apex  were  reached.  It  consisted  in  laying  blocks 
of  marble  for  the  outside,  and  granite  for  the  inside, 
each  block  being  two  feet  in  height.  The  exterior 
surface  of  the  blocks  has  an  upward  slant  of  an  inch 
for  each  course,  giving  a  decrease  of  one  foot  in  the 
width  of  each  of  the  four  sides  of  the  monument  in 
every  twenty-four  of  the  rise. 

The  stones  were  lifted  on  an  elevator  run  by  steam, 
suspended  in  an  interior  framework  of  iron,  that  was 
built  up  at  intervals,  thirty  or  forty  feet  at  a  time,  in 
advance  of  the  surrounding  masonry. 

When  the  five  hundred  and  fifty  feet  level  was 
reached,  and  it  became  impossible  to  carry  the  iron 
framework  for  the  elevator  any  higher,  a  skeleton 
structure  was  built  to  support  the  slanting  marble  sides 
of  the  apex.  These  stones  were  lifted  into  place  by 
means  of  a  windlass  set  at  the  point  to  be  finally  occu- 
pied by  the  capstone.  A  platform  was  built  oyt  from 
the  doorway  on  the  east  side  of  the  five  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  level,  and  the  stones  were  run  out  upon  this 
platform,  and  then  hoisted.  When  all  but  the  last  nine 
had  been  set,  a  temporary  platform  of  wood  was  built 


2$0 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


around  the  apex,  and  the  nine  stones  were  hoisted  upon 
this  platform.  Then  the  windlass  was  taken  down,  and 
four  masts  set  up  for  use  in  laying  the  last  stones.  The 
pyramidal  top  terminates  in  an  aluminum  tip,  which  is 
nine  inches  high,  and  weighs  a  hundred  ounces.  The 
capstone  was  set  in  position  Dec.  6,  1884,  just  thirty- 
six  and  a  half  years  after  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone. 

The  door  at  the  base,  facing  the  Capitol,  is  eight  feet 
wide,  and  sixteen  feet  high,  and  enters  a  room  twenty- 
five  feet  square.  At  one  side  begin  the  stairs,  of  which 
there  are  fifty  flights,  containing  eighteen  steps  each. 

Five  hundred  and  twenty  feet  from  the  base,  there 
are  eight  windows,  18X24  inches,  two  on  each  face. 
The  area  at  the  base  of  the  pyramidal  top  is  i,iSyl 
feet,  —  space  enough  for  a  six-room  house,  each  room  to 
be  12  X  16  feet.  Externally  the  monument  is  complete, 
but  it  will  take  two  years  to  complete  the  interior. 
When  done,  the  total  cost  will  amount  to  $1,500,000. 


201.    OLD  STYLE  AND  NEW  STYLE  CALENDARS. 

About  forty-five  years  before  Christ,  Julius  Caesar 
having,  by  the  help  of  Sosigenes,  an  Alexandrian  phi- 
losopher, come  to  a  more  accurate  measurement  of  the 
year>  or  the  time  of  one  revolution  of  the  earth  around 
the  sun,  decreed  that  every  fourth  year  should  be  held 
to  consist  of  three  hundred  and  sixty-six  days,  in  order 
to  absorb  the  odd  hours ;  one  revolution,  strictly  ex- 
pressed, being  365  days,  5  hours,  48  minutes,  49^0  sec- 
onds. 

\  The  Julian  arrangement  was,  that  one  day  in  Feb- 
ruary of  every  fourth  year,  the  sixth  before  the  Calends 
of  March  (sextilis),  should  be  bissextile,  or  as  if  the 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


251 


23d  of  February,  in  every  fourth  year,  should  be  reck- 
oned twice.  But  as  a  whole  day  every  fourth  year  was 
11  minutes  and  iot3q  seconds  too  much,  the  natural 
time  fell  behind  the  reckoning ;  and  the  vernai  equi- 
nox, which  in  the  year  325  fell  on  the  21st  of  March, 
in  1582  fell  on  the  nth  of  March,  making  a  difference 
of  ten  days. 

To  correct  this  error  in  time,  Pope  Gregory  XIII. 
decreed  that  the  5th  of  October  of  that  year,  1582, 
should  be  reckoned  as  the  15th;  and,  to  keep  the  year 
right  in  future,  he  ordered  that  every  hundredth  year, 
that  could  not  be  divided  by  four,  should  not  be  bissex- 
tile. 

The  Pope  made  use  of  his  power  to  secure  the  adop- 
tion of  the  new  or  Gregorian  style  in  all  Catholic 
countries  of  Europe ;  but  England,  Sweden,  and  Russia 
still  retained  the  old  or  Julian  style.  In  1752  the  dis- 
crepancy between  the  Julian  and  Gregorian  calendars 
amounted  to  eleven  days. 

The  English  merchants  found  it  a  great  inconven- 
ience to  use  a  different  mode  of  computing  time  from 
their  foreign  correspondents ;  and  the  hatred  of  the 
Pope,  which  led  to  the  retention  of  this  error  for  so 
long  a  time  after  it  had  been  discovered,  having  greatly 
subsided,  the  British  Parliament  ordered  the  "new 
style  "  to  be  adopted  in  England. 

The  eleven  days  were  taken  out  of  September  of 
the  year  1752,  the  day  after  the  2d  being  called  the 
14th  instead  of  the  3d.  The  year  ecclesiastical  was 
reckoned  to  begin  on  the  25th  of  March,  or  lady-day, 
and  the  secular  year  on  Jan.  1.  So  that,  in  many 
older  writings,  we  find  a  date  given  thus,  Feb.  1, 
1601-2 ;  meaning  that  it  was  in  1601  of  the  ecclesi- 
astical, and  in  1602  of  the  secular,  year.    The  former 


252  CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 

computation  was  gradually  disused,  and  is  now  never 
employed. 

In  Russia  alone,  of  all  Christian  countries,  is  the  old 
style  still  retained  ;  wherefore  it  becomes  necessary  for 
one  writing  in  that  country  to  any  foreign  correspond- 
ent, to  set  his  date  thus  :  —  March,  or  2 


24  9  Jan.,  1885 


202.    THE  WITCH  OF  ENDOR. 

The  "  Witch  of  Endor"  was  the  woman  consulted  by 
King  Saul  when  the  hosts  of  the  Philistines  were  ar- 
rayed against  him.    See  I  Sam.  xxviii.  7-21. 

A  tradition  preserved  by  Jerome  makes  her  the 
mother  of  Abner,  therefore  the  aunt  of  King  Saul. 

It  is  supposed  to  be  on  this  account  that  she  escaped 
from  the  wholesale  slaughter  of  witches  made  by  order 
of  Saul.  Abner  was  his  first  cousin  and  the  command- 
er-in-chief of  his  armies.  Abner  and  Amas  are  also 
named  by  tradition  as  the  companions  of  Saul,  and  eye- 
witnesses of  the  facts  recorded  in  the  First  Book  of 
Samuel,  chapter  xxviii. 

Pope  Innocent  VIII.  issued  a  bull  against  witchcraft 
in  1484. 

During  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries  an 
incredible  number  of  persons  were  put  to  death  for 
witchcraft. 

The  laws  against  witchcraft  in  England  were  re- 
pealed in  1736,  during  the  reign  of  George  II. 

The  last  victims  were  Mrs.  Hicks,  and  her  daughter 
aged  nine  years:  they  were  executed  in  1716. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


253 


203.     "SNOW-BOUND"  (WHITTIER). 

Who  that  has  read  that  beautiful  "  Winter  Idyl,"— 
"To  the  Memory  of  the  Household  it  describes,"  —  has 
not  wanted  to  know  whether  it  was  an  ideal,  or  a  real 
picture  of  a  "  snow-bound  "  home  ? 

A  late  letter  from  the  poet  says,  " 1 Snow-Bound ' 
is  dedicated  to  my  own  family,  all  of  whom,  save  one 
brother,  being  then  dead.    My  brother  has  since  died." 

How  much  added  interest  this  assurance  gives  to 
the  lines,  — 

"What  matter  how  the  night  behaved? 

What  matter  how  the  north-wind  raved? 

Blow  high,  blow  low,  not  all  its  snow 

Could  quench  our  hearth-fire's  ruddy  glow. 

O  Time  and  Change  !  —  with  hair  as  gray 

As  was  my  sire's  that  winter  day, 

How  strange  it  seems,  with  so  much  gone 

Of  life  and  love,  to  still  live  on ! 

Ah,  brother  !  only  I  and  thou 

Are  left  of  all  that  circle  now, — 

The  dear  home  faces  whereupon 

That  fitful  firelight  paled  and  shone. 

Henceforward,  listen  as  we  will, 

The  voices  of  that  hearth  are  still ; 

Look  where  we  may,  the  wide  earth  o'er, 

Those  lighted  faces  smile  no  more. 


Yet  Love  will  dream,  and  Faith  will  trust 
(Since  He  who  knows  our  need  is  just), 
That  somehow,  somewhere,  meet  we  must. 
Alas  for  him  who  never  sees 
The  stars  shine  through  his  cypress-trees ! 
Who,  hopeless,  lays  his  dead  away, 
Nor  looks  to  see  the  breaking  day 
Across  the  mournful  marbles  play ! 
Who  hath  not  learned,  in  hours  of  faith, 
The  truth  to  flesh  and  sense  unknown, 
That  Life  is  ever  lord  of  Death, 
And  Love  can  never  lose  its  own  !  " 


254  CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


The  interest  deepens  as  the  home  scenes  are  un- 
folded,—  the  share  each  has  in  the  winter  tale, —  "Our 
father,"  "Our  mother,"  "Our  uncle,"  "The  dear  aunt," 
"  Our  elder  sister,"  "  Our  youngest  and  our  dearest," 
"The  master  of  the  district  school."  Then  comes  the 
forcible  description  of  a  character  that  forms  the  climax 
of  the  poem  :  — 

"  Another  guest  that  winter  night 

Flashed  back  from  lustrous  eyes  the  light. 

Unmarked  by  time,  and  yet  not  young, 

The  honeyed  music  of  her  tongue 

And  words  of  meekness  scarcely  told 

A  nature  passionate  and  bold, 

Strong,  self-concentred,  spurning  guide, 

Its  milder  features  dwarfed  beside 

Her  unbent  will's  majestic  pride. 

She  sat  among  us,  at  the  best, 

A  not  unfeared,  half-welcome  guest, 

Rebuking  with  her  cultured  phrase 

Our  homeliness  of  words  and  ways. 

A  certain  pard-like,  treacherous  grace 

Swayed  the  lithe  limbs  and  dropped  the  lash, 

Lent  the  white  teeth  their  dazzling  flash ; 

And  under  low  brows,  black  with  night, 

Rayed  out  at  times  a  dangerous  Jight ; 

The  sharp  heat-lightnings  of  her  face 

Presaging  ill  to  him  whom  Fate 

Condemned  to  share  her  love  or  hate, 

A  woman  tropical,  intense 

In  thought  and  act,  in  soul  and  sense, 

She  blended  in  a  like  degree 

The  vixen  and  the  devotee, 

Revealing  with  each  freak  or  feint 

The  temper  of  Petruchio's  Kate, 

The  raptures  of  Siena's  saint. 

Her  tapering  hand  and  rounded  wrist 

Had  facile  power  to  form  a  fist ; 

The  warm,  dark  languish  of  her  eyes 

Was  never  safe  from  wrath's  surprise. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


255 


Brows  saintly  calm  and  lips  devout 

Knew  every  change  of  scowl  and  pout ; 

And  the  sweet  voice  had  notes  more  high 

And  shrill  for  social  battle-cry. 

Since  then  what  old  cathedral-town 

Has  missed  her  pilgrim  staff  and  gown, 

What  convent-gate  has  held  its  lock 

Against  the  challenge  of  her  knock ! 

Through  Smyrna's  plague-hushed  thoroughfares, 

Up  sea-set  Malta's  rocky  stairs, 

Gray  olive-slopes  of  hills  that  hem 

Thy  tombs  and  shrines,  Jerusalem, 

Or  startling  on  her  desert  throne 

The  crazy  Queen  of  Lebanon 

With  claims  fantastic  as  her  own, 

Her  tireless  feet  have  held  their  way; 

And  still,  unrestful,  bowed,  and  gray, 

She  watches  under  Eastern  skies, 

With  hope  each  day  renewed  and  fresh, 

The  Lord's  quick  coming  in  the  flesh, 

Whereof  she  dreams  and  prophesies  !  " 

We  recognize  "the  guest"  as  Harriet  Livermore  ; 
""the  crazy  Queen  of  Lebanon"  as  Lady  Hester  Stan- 
hope. 

Of  Harriet  Livermore,  the  author  of  the  poem,  in 
another  letter,  says,  "  As  to  Harriet  Livermore  of  the 
'  Snow-Bound,'  she  was  the  daughter  of  Judge  Liver- 
more of  New  Hampshire,  a  gifted,  eccentric  woman, 
who  spent  a  year  or  two  in  my  neighborhood  when  I 
was  a  boy.  She  was  nearly  thirty  years  in  Europe  and 
Asia,  wandering  about  on  what  she  regarded  as  a  reli- 
gious mission,  visiting  convents  and  monasteries. 

She  was  an  ill-regulated  character,  —  devout,  violent 
in  temper,  and  perhaps  at  times  almost  insane.  She 
spent  some  time  with  Lady  Hester  Stanhope  on  the 
slopes  of  Mount  Lebanon. 


256 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


But  how  beautifully  the  poet  draws  the  veil  of  charity- 
over  such  a  character  as  he  goes  on  to  say,  — 

"  Where'er  her  troubled  path  may  be, 
The  Lord's  sweet  pity  with  her  go ! 
The  outward  wayward  life  we  see, 
The  hidden  springs  we  may  not  know. 
Nor  is  it  given  us  to  discern 
What  threads  the  fatal  sisters  spun, 
Through  what  ancestral  years  had  run 
The  sorrow  with  the  woman  born, 
What  forged  her  cruel  chain  of  moods, 
What  set  her  feet  in  solitudes, 
And  held  the  love  within  her  mute, 
What  mingled  madness  in  the  blood, 
A  life-long  discord  and  annoy, 
Water  of  tears  with  oil  of  joy, 
And  hid  within  the  folded  bud 
Perversities  of  flower  and  fruit. 
It  is  not  ours  to  separate 
The  tangled  skein  of  will  and  fate, 
To  show  what  metes  and  bounds  should  stand 
Upon  the  soul's  debatable  land, 
And  between  choice  and  Providence 
Divide  the  circle  of  events ; 
But  He  who  knows  our  frame  is  just, 
Merciful  and  compassionate, 
And  full  of  sweet  assurances 
And  hope  for  all  the  language  is, 
That  He  remembereth  we  are  dust." 


204.    LADY  HESTER  STANHOPE. 

Lamartine,  in  his  "Voyage  en  Orient,"  gives  a  fine 
description  of  his  visit  to  Lady  Hester  Stanhope's 
retreat  on  the  slopes  of  Mount  Lebanon. 

"  Lady  Hester  Stanhope,  ni-ece  of  Mr.  Pitt,  after  the  death  of 
her  uncle,  left  England,  and  travelled  over  Europe.    Young,  beau- 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


257 


tiful,  and  rich,  she  received  everywhere  the  welcome  due  to  her 
rank,  her  fortune,  her  intelligence,  and  her  beauty. 

"  But  she  refused  constantly  to  unite  her  destiny  to  that  of  her 
most  worthy  admirers ;  and,  after  a  few  years  passed  in  the  capitals 
of  Europe,  she  started,  with  numerous  followers,  for  Constantinople. 
The  motive  for  this  voluntary  exile  could  never  be  fully  determined. 
Some  attributed  it  to  the  death  of  a  young  English  general  killed 
about  that  time  in  Spain ;  others  to  a  simple  love  of  adventure, 
which  the  enterprising  and  courageous  character  of  this  young  lady 
might  well  lead  them  to  believe.  But,  whatever  it  might  be,  she 
started.  After  a  few  years  spent  in  Constantinople,  she  started 
for  Syria  in  an  English  vessel.  She  carried  with  her  a  large  por- 
tion of  her  treasures,  —  immense  wealth  in  jewels  and  presents  of 
all  kinds. 

"  A  storm  assailed  the  vessel  in  the  Gulf  of  Macri,  on  the  coast 
of  Caramime,  opposite  the  island  of  Rhodes.  The  vessel  grounded 
on  a  rock  a  few  miles  from  the  coast.  It  was  almost  instantly 
wrecked,  and  the  treasures  of  Lady  Stanhope  were  ingulfed  in  the 
waves.  She  herself  narrowly  escaped  death,  and  was  carried  on  a 
piece  of  the  vessel  to  a  small,  deserted  island,  where  she  spent 
twenty-four  hours  without  food  and  without  assistance.  At  last 
some  fishermen  of  Marmoriza,  who  were  searching  for  debris  of 
the  shipwreck,  discovered  her,  and  took  her  to  Rhodes,  where  she 
made  herself  known  to  the  English  consul. 

"This  deplorable  event  did  not  weaken  her  resolution.  She 
went  to  Malta,  and  from  there  to  England.  She  gathered  together 
the  remains  of  her  fortune,  sold  at  a  great  loss  a  portion  of  her 
domains,  laded  a  second  vessel  with  rich  presents  for  the  coun- 
tries which  she  desired  to  pass  through,  and  again  set  sail.  The 
voyage  was  successful;  and  she  landed  at  Latakia,  the  ancient 
Laodicea,  on  the  coast  of  Syria,  between  Tripoli  and  Alexandria 

"  She  established  herself  in  the  neighborhood,  learned  the  Ara- 
bic, surrounded  herself  with  persons  who  could  facilitate  her  rela- 
tions with  the  different  tribes  —  Arabs,  Druses,  Maronites  —  of  the 
country;  and  she  prepared  herself  (as  I  was  doing  at  the  same 
time)  to  make  voyages  of  discovery  in  the  least  accessible  parts  of 
Arabia,  Mesopotamia,  and  the  desert.  When  she  had  familiarized 
herself  with  the  language,  customs,  and  the  usages  of  the  country, 
she  organized  a  numerous  caravan,  loaded  camels  with  rich  pres- 
ents for  the  Arabs,  and  travelled  through  the  different  parts  of 


258 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Syria.  She  sojourned  at  Jerusalem,  at  Damascus,  at  Aleppo,  at 
Baalbec,  and  Palmyra.  It  was  in  this  last  place  that  the  numerous 
wandering  Arab  tribes,  which  had  allowed  her  to  visit  the  ruins, 
assembled  around  her  to  the  number  of  about  fifty  thousand,  and 
charmed  with  her  beauty,  grace,  and  magnificence,  proclaimed  her 
the  Queen  of  Palmyra,  and  gave  to  her  passports  by  which  it  was 
agreed  that  all  Europeans  protected  by  her  could  visit  in  safety  the 
desert,  the  ruins  of  Baalbec  and  Palmyra,  provided  that  he  agreed 
to  pay  a  tribute  of  a  thousand  dollars.  This  treaty  still  exists,, 
and  would  be  faithfully  executed  by  the  Arabs  if  they  could  have 
positive  proofs  of  the  protection  of  Lady  Stanhope. 

"  On  her  return  to  Palmyra  she  was  nearly  captured  by  a  numer- 
ous tribe  of  other  Arabs,  enemies  of  those  of  Palmyra.  She  was 
warned  in  time  by  one  of  her  own,  and  owed  her  salvation  and  that 
of  her  caravan  to  a  forced  midnight  march  and  the  fleetness  of  her 
horses,  which  travelled  in  twenty-four  hours  an  incredible  space  of 
the  desert.  She  returned  to  Damascus,  where  she  resided  a  few 
months  under  the  protection  of  the  Turkish  Pasha,  to  whom  the 
Porte  had  recommended  her  very  heartily. 

"  After  a  wandering  life  in  all  the  countries  of  the  Orient,  Lady 
Stanhope  fixed  herself  at  last  in  an  almost  inaccessible  solitude  on 
one  of  the  mountains  of  Lebanon,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Sidon. 

"The  Pasha  of  Abdalla,  who  had  for  her  a  great  respect,  —  an 
absolute  devotedness,  —  conceded  to  her  the  ruins  of  a  convent 
and  the  village  of  Digioun,  settled  by  the  Druses. 

"  Lady  Stanhope  was  about  fifty  years  of  age.  She  had  those 
features  that  years  do  not  change.  Freshness,  color,  grace,  dis- 
appear with  youth ;  but  when  beauty  is  in  the  form,  in  the  purity 
of  the  lines,  in  the  dignity,  the  majesty,  the  expression  of  man  or 
woman,  beauty  changes  with  the  different  epochs  of  life,  but  does- 
not  pass  away. 

"  Such  was  that  of  Lady  Stanhope." 


205.    A  CLEPSYDRA. 

Among  the  valuable  presents  sent  to  the  Emperor 
Charlemagne  by  Haroun  al  Raschid,  which  astonished 
the  Western  world  by  their  rarity,  and  the  ingenuity 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


259 


displayed  in  their  construction,  was  a  clepsydra,  or 
water-clock  of  metal.  From  the  admiration  this  clock 
elicited,  we  are  led  to  presume  that  the  clepsydra — first 
used  by  the  Romans  —  was  a  lost  art  to  the  Western 
people. 

The  Romans  had  used  the  clepsydra  to  limit  time  in 
courts.  That  of  Ctesilaus  of  Alexandria,  135  B.C.,  had 
a  little  figure  which  rose  with  the  water,  and  pointed 
out  the  hours.  But  the  more  simple  ones  consisted  of 
a  vase  filled  with  water,  with  a  small  opening  at  the 
bottom,  through  which  the  water  escaped,  drop  by 
drop,  into  a  vessel  beneath,  which  was  said  by  the 
Romans  to  steal  the  water,  clepsydra  meaning  water- 
stealer.  The  sides  of  the  vase  were  divided  by  lines, 
and  the  height  of  the  water  marked  the  time. 

But  the  clepsydra  sent  to  Charlemagne,  in  its  deli- 
cate and  complicated  machinery,  showed  what  great 
progress  mechanical  art  had  made  in  the  East.  "  It 
had  twelve  gates  corresponding  to  the  twelve  hours. 
When  the  hour  was  striking  on  the  clock,  one  of  the 
gates  opened  itself,  from  which  proceeded  a  regular 
number  of  small  brass  balls  ;  and  these,  falling  in  turn 
on  a  brazen  vessel,  marked  the  hour  by  the  noise  which 
they  caused :  the  eye  perceived  the  hour  by  the  number 
of  opened  gates,  and  the  ear  by  the  number  of  falling 
balls.  At  the  twelfth  hour,  twelve  small  horsemen  is- 
sued out,  each  through  its  gate,  and  closed  them  all  by 
their  momentum  in  their  course  round  the  dial. 

The  clepsydra,  or  water-clock,  is  still  used  in  some 
countries  ;  but,  the  flow  of  water  being  affected  by  tem- 
perature and  barometric  pressure,  the  pendulum  has 
superseded  it  in  modern  times. 

The  invention  of  pendulum-clocks  is,  by  some,  as- 
cribed to  Pacificus,  Arch-deacon  of  Verona,  in  the  ninth 


26o 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


century ;  and  by  others  to  Boethius,  in  the  early  part 
of  the  sixth.  The  Saracens  are  said  to  have  had  clocks 
moved  by  weights  in  the  eleventh  century ;  and,  as 
Dante  applies  the  term  to  a  machine  which  struck  the 
hours,  clocks  must  have  been  known  in  Italy  at  the 
end  of  the  thirteenth,  or  beginning  of  the  fourteenth, 
century.  The  most  ancient  clock  of  which  there  is 
any  certain  record  was  erected  in  a  tower  of  the  palace 
of  Charles  V.,  King  of  France,  in  1364,  by  Henry  de 
Wyck,  a  German  artist.  A  clock  was  erected  at  Stras- 
bourg, in  1370,  at  Courtray,  about  the  same  time,  and 
at  Speyer  in  1395. 

The  invention  of  the  pendulum  was  suggested  to 
Galileo  by  a  circumstance  somewhat  similar  to  that 
which  started  Newton's  mind  to  the  discovery  of  the 
theory  of  gravitation. 

When  Galileo  was  standing  one  day  in  the  Metro- 
politan Church  of  Pisa,  he  observed  a  lamp,  which  was 
suspended  from  the  ceiling,  and  which  had  been  moved 
by  accident,  swing  backwards  and  forwards.  Thou- 
sands of  people  might  have  observed  it  before ;  but 
Galileo,  noticing  the  regularity  with  which  it  moved, 
reflected  upon  it  until  he  was  enabled  to  perfect  the 
method  of  measuring  time  now  in  use  by  means  of  a 
wheel  and  pendulum.  Watches  are  said  to  have  been 
made  at  Nuremberg  as  early  as  1477,  but  the  watches 
of  that  early  date  bear  a  very  small  resemblance  to 
those  now  in  use.  Some  were  immensely  large,  and 
some  so  small  that  they  could  be  fitted  into  the  top  of 
a  walking-stick.  As  time-keepers,  they  could  have 
been  of  very  little  value  until  the  application  of  the 
spiral  spring,  invented  by  Hooke,  in  1658. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


206.    STATUE  OF  ST.  BRUNO. 

The  famous  statue  of  St.  Bruno,  at  Rome,  was  ex- 
ecuted by  that  master  of  French  sculpture,  Houdon 
(1741-1828). 

At  the  invitation  of  Franklin,  Houdon  visited  Amer- 
ica in  the  year  1785,  and  took  casts  for  the  statue  of 
Washington  (now  at  Richmond,  Va.),  which  Lafayette 
declared  to  be  the  best  likeness  obtained  of  the  "Amer- 
ican Patriot." 

St.  Bruno  belonged  to  the  order  of  Trappists,  whose 
chief  law  was  silence. 

Pope  Clement  XIV.,  on  seeing  the  statue,  exclaimed, 
"  He  would  speak  did  not  the  rule  of  his  order  forbid ! " 
St.  Bruno  founded  the  order  of  Carthusians,  or  Charter- 
house monks. 


207.    A  KING  THAT  COULD  NOT  SPEAK  THE  LAN 
GUAGE  OF  HIS  KINGDOM. 

George  Lewis,  Duke  of  Brunswick,  Elector  of  Han 
over,  came  to  the  throne  of  England  on  the  death  of 
Queen  Anne,  1 7 14,  with  the  title  of  George  I.  He 
was  not  the  nearest  heir  to  the  throne,  but  became  king 
by  an  Act  of  Parliament,  made  some  years  previous, 
which  secured  the  succession  to  the  Protestant  descend- 
ants of  the  electress  of  Hanover,  in  order  to  cut  off  the 
Roman-Catholic  house  of  Stuarts. 

George  I.  never  liked  England,  and  the  English  peo- 
ple never  liked  him.  He  could  not  speak  even  one 
word  of  their  language.  He  was  very  unkind  to  his 
son,  and  kept  his  wife  in  prison  for  thirty-three  years, 
until  her  death.  It  was  during  his  reign  that  the 
great  monetary  crisis  took  place,  known  as  the  South- 
sea  Bubble. 

This  was  a  scheme  devised  by  Sir  John  Blunt,  a 


262 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


lawyer,  by  which  it  was  intended  to  buy  up  the  national 
debt  of  England  by  securing  the  sole  right  of  trading 
in  the  South  Seas. 

The  bubble  burst  in  1720,  ruining  thousands  of  peo- 
ple. The  term  is  now  applied  to  any  scheme  which 
has  a  plausible  promise,  but  whose  collapse  would  be 
ruinous  to  all  concerned  in  it.  George  I.  died  June 
10,  1727,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  George  II. 
His  reign  was  made  glorious  by  many  great  artists, 
authors,  soldiers,  and  statesmen.  Several  important 
events  occurred  during  his  reign :  the  War  of  the 
Austrian  Succession,  the  Seven  Years'  War,  the  con- 
quests in  India,  and  a  rebellion  headed  by  Charles 
Edward,  grandson  of  James  II.,  in  which  the  hopes 
of  the  Stuarts  were  forever  crushed  by  the  victory  of 
Culloden  (q.v.).  In  1752  the  new  method  of  reckon- 
ing time  was  adopted  in  England  (q.v.). 

George  II.  could  speak  only  very  broken  English  :  he 
died  in  1760,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  grandson, 
George  III. 

He  was  the  first  of  the  Hanoverian  line  born  on 
the  soil  of  Great  Britain.  He  reigned  sixty  years,  the 
longest  in  the  history  of  England ;  and  many  very  im- 
portant events  occurred,  such  as  the  American  Revo- 
lution, the  French  Revolution,  etc.  The  King  lost 
his  reason  in  1810:  and  his  son,  afterwards  George  IV., 
was  appointed  regent ;  as  such,  he  governed  England  for 
ten  years.  George  III.  was  a  man  of  high  moral  char- 
acter, and  in  his  opening  speech  in  Parliament  is  re- 
ported to  have  said,  "  I  glory  in  the  name  of  Briton  ! " 

George  IV.  became  King  of  England  in  1820,  and 
reigned  ten  years  from  that  date. 

He  was  notedly  immoral  as  Prince  of  Wales,  and  is 
said  not  to  have  mended  his  ways  after  he  became  king. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


263 


He  was  very  unkind  to  his  wife,  the  Princess  Car- 
oline of  Brunswick  (q.v.),  bringing  her  to  trial  on 
charges  of  which  the  Parliament  declared  her  not 
guilty.  The  death  of  his  lovely  daughter,  Princess 
Charlotte,  was  a  great  grief  to  all  England ;  as  she  was 
the  only  heir-apparent  to  the  throne. 

George  IV.  died  in  1830,  and  was  succeeded  by  his 
brother,  William  IV.  (q.v.).  William  died  in  1837,  anc* 
was  succeeded  by  his  niece,  the  present  Queen  Victoria. 

The  united  reigns  of  the  first  three  Georges  cover  a 
period  of  one  hundred  and  sixteen  years. 

When  we  say  that  George  I.  could  not  speak  the 
English  language,  and  that  George  II.  spoke  it  very 
brokenly,  we  really  mean  that  these  German  kings  had 
nothing  in  common  with  the  English  people.  What, 
then,  ruled  them  so  well  for  so  many  years  ?  The  ex- 
cellent English  "Constitution." 


208.    "TO  ERR  IS  HUMAN,  TO  FORGIVE  DIVINE.'* 

"To  what  base  ends,  and  by  what  abject  ways, 
Are  mortals  urged  through  sacred  lust  of  praise ! 
Ah  !  ne'er  so  dire  a  thirst  of  glory  boast, 
Nor  in  the  critic  let  the  man  be  lost. 
Good  nature  and  good  sense  must  ever  join  ; 
To  err  is  human,  to  forgive  divine." 

The  lines  above  quoted  are  from  "An  Essay  on 
Criticism  "  by  Alexander  Pope,  and  have  become  almost 
universally  used  to  express  charity  towards  the  failings 
and  follies  of  others. 

The  following  well-known  quotations  are  also  from 
his  writings  :  — 

"A  little  learning  is  a  dangerous  thing; 
Drink  deep,  or  taste  not  the  Pierian  spring : 


264 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


There  shallow  draughts  intoxicate  the  brain, 
And  drinking  largely  sobers  us  again." 

"  Worth  makes  the  man,  and  want  of  it  the  fellow. 

"  Honor  and  shame  from  no  condition  rise ; 
Act  well  your  part,  there  all  the  honor  lies." 

"  A  wit's  a  feather,  and  a  chief  a  rod ; 
An  honest  man's  the  noblest  work  of  God." 

The  poetic  endowments  of  Pope  were  of  tr)$  first 
order ;  and  there  occur  in  his  works,  short  passages 
that  are  among  the  gems  of  English  poetry,  and  ex- 
pressions that  have  become  household  words.  In  fact, 
no  English  poet  has  furnished  so  many  brief  quotations 
as  he  has. 

Alexander  Pope  was  born  in  London,  on  May  21  or 
22,  1688,  and  died  May  30,  1744.  He  was  the  son  of 
a  retired  tradesman,  and,  being  a  very  sickly  child,  was 
thrown  much  upon  the  companionship  of  books,  which 
he  read  with  eagerness  and  delight. 

He  commenced  to  write  before  he  was  twelve  years 
old,  and,  before  reaching  manhood,  had  written  many 
beautiful  lines.  He  never  became  robust,  and  was  very 
small,  being  only  four  feet  tall.  He  was  much  perse- 
cuted and  annoyed  by  some  of  his  contemporaries,  and 
many  of  his  poems  were  very  harshly  criticised.  He 
spent  five  years  translating  Homer's  Iliad,  by  which 
he  made  five  thousand  pounds.  He  also  translated  the 
Odyssey.  His  chief  works  are  "An  Essay  on  Criti- 
cism," "Rape  of  the  Lock,"  "Messiah,"  and  "An 
Essay  on  Man." 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


265 


209.    HERALDRY  IN  ENGLAND. 

Armorial  bearings  are  of  ancient  origin ;  but  they  did 
not  acquire  a  systematized  form  in  England  until  the 
reign  of  Henry  III.,  or  at  the  end  of  the  thirteenth 
century. 

Armorial  bearings  are  also  called  "  coats-of-arms." 
They  are  figurative  marks  of  distinction  assigned  to 
individuals  by  certain  courts,  which  are  appointed  by 
the  sovereigns,  and  are  known  as  The  Herald's  College, 
England ;  The  College  of  Arms,  Ireland ;  The  Lyon 
Court,  Scotland.  The  highest  class  consists  of  a  shield 
with  supporters  and  a  crest  along  with  a  motto ;  but 
only  members  of  the  peerage,  or  those  particularly 
qualified,  are  entitled  to  supporters.  A  shield  is  a  tri- 
angular figure  with  the  point  downwards,  and  its  'colors 
and  emblematic  devices  are  in  some  way  significant  of 
the  history  of  the  family  bearing  it. 

The  tinctures  (colors)  are  as  follows  :  — 

Silver,  termed  Argent. 


Gold,  termed  Or. 
Fur,       "  Vair. 
Blue,      "  Azure. 
Green,    "  Vert. 


Red,  "  Gules. 
Black,  "  Sable. 
Purple,     "  Purpure. 


The  surface  of  the  shield  is  called  the  field.  In  Eng- 
land the  assumption  of  arms  by  private  individuals  was 
first  restrained  by  a  proclamation  of  Henry  V.,  which 
prohibited  every  one  who  had  not  borne  arms  at  Agin- 
court  to  assume  them,  except  in  virtue  of  inheritance 
or  a  grant  from  the  crown.  The  wrongful  assumption 
of  arms  is  an  act  for  which  the  assumer  may  be  sub- 
jected to  penalties.  The  use  of  arms  subjects  the 
bearer  of  them  to  an  annual  tax. 

Besides  individuals,  countries  and  states  are  entitled 
to  the  use  of  arms. 


266 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Previous  to  the  union  of  the  crowns,  the  supporters 
of  the  shield  of  England  were  two  lions,  and  those  of 
Scotland  two  unicorns. 

After  the  union  of  the  crowns,  there  was  a  lion  on 
one  side  and  a  unicorn  on  the  other.  Before  the  union, 
the  shield  of  England  bore  three  lions  passant  (walk- 
ing) on  a  field  of  gold :  the  shield  of  Scotland  bore  a 
lion  rampant,  or  standing  on  its  hind-legs,  on  a  field  of 
gold.  Scott,  in  "  Marmion,"  refers  to  the  royal  banner 
of  Scotland,  — 

"  The  ruddy  lion  rampant  in  gold." 

The  royal  shield  of  the  United  Kingdoms  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland,  now  quartered,  bears  the  three 
lions  of  England  in  the  first  and  fourth  quarter,  the 
lion  of  Scotland  in  the  second,  and  in  the  third  the 
harp  of  Ireland,  —  the  whole  significant  of  the  union  of 
the  several  countries  under  one  sovereign. 

Henry  VIII.  was  the  first  to  assume  the  title  of 
"  King  of  Ireland."  The  title  of  "  King  of  Great  Brit- 
ain "  was  assumed  by  James  VI.  of  Scotland  when  he 
became  James  I.  of  England,  an  event  known  in  his- 
tory as  "The  Union  of  the  Crowns,"  A.D.  1603. 


210.  CHLOROFORM. 

Chloroform  is  made  by  distilling  proportions  of  chlo- 
ride of  lime,  alcohol,  and  water.  The  word  chloroform 
is  made  up  of  chloros  (grass-green)  and  formyle,  a  sub- 
stance named  from  the  Latin  formica  (anant),  because 
it  was  first  found  in  ants. 

Chloroform  was  long  known  to  the  scientific  chemist 
before  its  power  as  an  anaesthetic  or  nerve-stupefier  was 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


267 


discovered.  Dr.  Simpson  of  Edinburgh  was  the  first 
to  introduce  it  into  his  practice  in  1847. 

Dr.  Morton,  an  American  physician,  was  the  first  to 
put  sulphuric  ether  to  this  use  in  1846. 

The  Greeks  and  Romans  used  mandragora  to  annul 
the  pain  attendant  upon  surgical  operations,  and  the 
Chinese  used  hashish  for  the  same  purpose ;  therefore, 
the  administration  of  narcotic  drugs  was  not  unknown 
to  the  ancients,  but  they  never  attained  to  a  knowledge 
of  perfect  anaesthetics. 


211.    TERRIBLE  DEATH  OF  THE  LAST  OF  THE 
KALIPHS. 

The  kaliphs  were  successors  of  Mohammed,  kaliph 
meaning  successor.  The  first  kaliph  was  Abu-beker, 
the  father-in-law  of  Mohammed.  This  kaliph,  when 
dying,  offered  the  sceptre  to  Omar,  who  modestly  ob- 
served that  he  had  no  occasion  for  the  place.  "  But 
the  place  has  occasion  for  you,"  replied  Abu-beker,  and 
died,  praying  that  the  God  of  Mohammed  would  ratify 
his  choice.  Omar  commenced  his  reign  A.D.  633  ;  and 
nineteen  kaliphs  of  the  race  of  Omar,  called  Ommiades, 
ruled  in  succession  until  656,  after  which  began  the 
dynasty  of  the  Abbassides  descended  from  Abbas,  the 
uncle  of  Mohammed.  The  second  of  this  race,  Al- 
Mansor,  built  the  city  of  Bagdad,  and  made  it  the  seat 
of  the  Saracen  Empire  in  A.D.  762.  Bagdad  is  situ- 
ated on  both  sides  of  the  river  Tigris  in  Turkey,  and 
was  built  partly  from  the  ruins  of  the  city  of  Babylon. 

While  the  kaliphs  lived  there,  it  was  the  city  of  the 
East  (having,  in  873,  two  million  inhabitants),  and  was 
the  chief  seat  of  Arabian  civilization  and  learning. 
The  later  kaliphs,  in  the  decline  of  the  Saracen  Em- 


268 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


pire,  were  not  the  warlike  sovereigns  their  predecessors 
had  been.  They  thought  only  of  securing  their  ease 
and  pleasure. 

Mastassem,  the  last  of  the  kaliphs,  exceeded  all 
others  in  ostentation  and  pride.  When  he  appeared  in 
public  he  usually  wore  a  veil,  the  more  effectually  to 
attract  the  respect  of  the  public,  whom  he  considered 
unworthy  to  look  at  him. 

On  these  occasions  nothing  could  exceed  the  eager- 
ness of  the  multitude  to  see  him,  shown  by  their  crowd- 
ing the  streets,  and  hiring  windows  and  balconies  at 
enormous  prices. 

When  the  Tartars,  under  the  leadership  of  Halaki, 
took  Bagdad,  A.D.  1258,  they  ordered,  that,  as  a  pun- 
ishment for  his  pride,  Mastassem  should  be  confined  in 
a  leather  bag,  with  his  head  exposed  to  the  view  of  the 
same  populace,  and  dragged  through  the  same  streets 
until  he  expired. 

The  opera  called  "  The  Kaliph  of  Bagdad  "  was  writ- 
ten in  1799,  by  Boieldieu. 


212.    "THE  FAERIE  QUEENE." 

"The  Faerie  Queene,"  by  Edmund  Spenser,  is  an 
allegorical  poem  of  some  length,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  poems  in  the  English  language. 

The  purpose  of  the  poem,  and  what  the  different 
characters  represent,  can  best  be  explained  in  Spenser's 
own  words,  in  a  letter  to  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  :  — 

"  In  that  Faery  Queene  I  meane  glory  in  my  generall  intention, 
but  in  my  particular  I  conceive  the  most  excellent  and  glorious 
person  of  our  soveraine  the  Queene  (Elizabeth),  and  her  kingdome 
in  Faeryland.  And  yet,  in  some  places  els,  I  doe  otherwise  shadow 
her.    For  considering  she  beareth  two  persons,  the  one  of  a  most 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


269 


royall  Queene  or  Empresse,  the  other  of  a  most  vertuous  and 
beautifull  Lady,  this  latter  part  in  some  places  I  doe  expresse  in 
Belphcebe,  fashioning  her  name  according  to  her  owne  excellent 
conceipt  of  Cynthia  (Phcebe  and  Cynthia  being  both  names  of 
Diana).  So  in  the  person  of  Prince  Arthure  I  sette  forth  magnifi- 
cence in  particular,  which  vertue,  for  that  (according  to  Aristotle 
and  the  rest)  it  is  the  perfection  of  all  the  rest,  and  conteineth  in 
it  them  all,  therefore  in  the  whole  course  I  mention  the  deedes  of 
Arthure  applyable  to  that  vertue,  which  I  write  of  in  that  booke. 
But  of  the  xii.  other  vertues,  I  make  xii.  other  knights  the  pa- 
trones,  for  the  more  variety  of  the  history :  Of  which  these  three 
bookes  contayn  three. 

"  The  first  of  the  knight  of  the  Red  crosse,  in  whome  I  expresse 
Holynes :  The  second  of  Sir  Gujon,  in  whome  I  set  forthe  Tem- 
peraunce :  The  third  of  Britomartis,  a  Lady  Knight,  in  whome  I 
picture  Chastity.  But,  because  the  beginning  of  the  whole  worke 
seemeth  abrupte  and  as  depending  on  other  antecedents,  it  needs 
that  ye  know  the  occasion  of  these  three  knights  severall  adven- 
tures. For  the  methode  of  a  Poet  historical  is  not  such  as  of  an 
Historiographer.  For  an  Historiographer  discourseth  of  affayres 
orderly  as  they  were  donne,  accounting  as  well  the  times  as  the 
actions ;  but  a  Poet  thrusteth  into  the  middest,  even  where  it  most 
concerneth  him,  and  there  recoursing  to  the  thinges  forepaste,  and 
divining  of  thinges  to  come,  maketh  a  pleasing  Analysis  of  all. 

"  The  beginning  therefore  of  my  history,  if  it  were  to  be  told 
by  an  Historiographer,  should  be  the  twelfth  booke,  which  is  the 
last ;  where  I  devise  that  the  Faery  Queene  kept  her  Annuall  feast 
xii.  dayes;  upon  which  xii.  several  dayes,  the  occasions  of  the  xii. 
severall  adventures  hapned,  which,  being  undertaken  by  xii.  sev- 
erall knights,  are  in  these  xii.  severall  bookes  severally  handled 
and  discoursed.  The  first  was  this.  In  the  beginning  of  the  feast, 
there  presented  him  selfe  a  tall  clownishe  younge  man,  who  falling 
before  the  Queene  of  Fairies  desired  a  boone  (as  the  manner  then 
was)  which  during  that  feast  she  might  not  refuse,  which  was  that 
hee  might  have  the  atchievement  of  any  adventure,  which  during 
that  feaste  should  happen  :  that  being  graunted,  hee  rested  him  on 
the  floore,  unfitte  through  his  rusticity  for  a  better  place. 

"  Soone  after  entred  a  faire  Ladye  in  mourning  weedes,  riding 
on  a  white  Asse,  with  a  dwarfe  behind  her  leading  a  warlike  steed, 
that  bore  the  Armes  of  a  knight,  and  his  speare  in  the  dwarfe's 


2/0 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


hand.  Shee,  falling  before  the  Queene  of  Faeries,  complayned 
that  her  father  and  mother,  an  ancient  King  and  Queene,  had  bene 
by  a  huge  dragon  many  years  shut  up  in  a  brasen  Castle,  who 
thence  suffred  them  not  to  yssew ;  and  therefore  besought  the 
Faery  Queene  to  assygne  her  some  one  of  her  knights  to  take  on 
him  that  exployt.  Presently  that  clownish  person,  upstarting, 
desired  that  adventure  :  Whereat  the  Queene  much  wondering,  and 
the  Lady  much  gainesaying,  yet  he  earnestly  importuned  his  desire. 
In  the  end  the  Lady  told  him,  that  unlesse  that  armour  which  she 
brought,  would  serve  him  (that  is,  the  armour  of  a  Christian  man 
specified  by  Saint  Paul  vi.  Ephes.)  that  he  could  not  succeed  in  that 
enterprise ;  which  being  forthwith  put  upon  him,  with  dewe  furni 
tures  thereunto,  he  seemed  the  goodliest  man  in  al  that  company, 
and  was  well  liked  of  the  Lady.  And  eftesoones  taking  on  him 
knighthood,  and  mounting  on  that  straunge  Courser,  he  went  forth 
with  her  on  that  adventure." 

The  first  part  of  "  The  Faerie  Queene  "  was  published 
in  1590,  and  the  second  in  1595. 

He  had  intended  twelve  books,  setting  forth  the 
twelve  moral  virtues  which  should  be  practised  by  a 
knight  or  gentleman  :  he  wrote  only  six. 

Edmund  Spenser,  made  famous  among  English  poets 
by  this  one  work,  was  born  in  London  in  1553.  He 
was,  in  point  of  time,  the  second  great  poet  of  England, 
—  Chaucer  being  the  first.  Between  the  death  of 
Chaucer  and  the  birth  of  Spenser,  there  were  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years,  during  which  time  there  was  no 
great  English  poet. 

But  little  is  known  of  his  early  life.  His  friend,  Sir 
Philip  Sidney,  introduced  him  to  Sir  Walter  Raleigh, 
who  brought  him  to  the  notice  of  Queen  Elizabeth. 
She  gave  him  an  estate  in  Ireland,  and  a  castle  called 
Kilcolman,  where  he  resided  for  several  years.  He  was 
appointed  Sheriff  of  Cork  ;  but  this  office  brought  him 
into  trouble  with  the  Irish  people,  who  did  not  wish  to 
be  governed  by  English  rulers. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


271 


During  an  insurrection  in  1598  he  was  compelled  to 
flee  with  his  family  to  England  ;  and  in  three  months 
after,  —  January,  1599,  —  he  died  in  Westminster,  aged 
forty-six  years. 

Hallam  says,  "  Spenser  is  still  the  third  name  in  the 
poetical  literature  of  our  country ;  and  he  has  not  been 
surpassed,  except  by  Dante,  in  any  other."  And 
Keble  calls  him  "  pre-eminently  the  sacred  poet  of  his 
country." 


213.   A  STATUE  SIX  THOUSAND  YEARS  OLD. 

Probably  the  oldest  and  most  remarkable  statue  in 
the  world  is  one  now  in  the  Museum  of  Antiquities  at 
Boolak,  Egypt.  It  is  a  wooden  statue  of  a  man,  and  is 
supposed  to  be  six  thousand  years  old. 

It  was  discovered  by  Mariette  Bey,  the  great  French 
Egyptologist,  at  Memphis,  and  placed  by  him  in  its 
present  situation.  Nothing  is  known  of  its  history,  and 
it  stands  as  a  solitary  monument  of  the  handicraft  of  a 
people  who  lived  and  died  thousands  of  years  ago. 

Mr.  Charles  Dudley  Warner,  in  the  narrative  of  his 
travels  in  the  East,  thus  describes  this  statue  :  "  This 
image  is  one  metre  and  ten  centimetres  high, — a  little 
over  three  feet.  It  stands  erect,  holding  a  staff.  The 
figure  is  full  of  life ;  the  pose  expresses  vigor,  action, 
pride  ;  the  head,  round  in  form,  indicates  intellect.  The 
eyes  are  crystal,  in  a  setting  of  bronze,  giving  a  startling 
look  of  life  to  the  glance.    It  is,  no  doubt,  a  portrait. 

"  'There  is  nothing  more  striking,'  says  its  discoverer, 
'than  this  image  —  in  a  manner  living  —  of  a  person 
who  has  been  dead  six  thousand  years.'  He  must  have 
been  a  man  of  mark  and  a  citizen  of  a  state  well  civil- 
ized :  this  is  not  the  portrait  of  a  barbarian,  nor  was  it 


1 


2J2 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


carved  by  a  rude  artist.  Few  artists,  I  think,  have  lived 
since,  who  could  impart  more  vitality  to  wood." 

It  may  be  added  that  it  has  a  suggestion,  if  not  more, 
of  the  Farnese  Hercules. 


214.    NUMBER  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  REIGN  OF 
TERROR  IN  FRANCE. 

The  Reign  of  Terror  in  France  terminated  with  the 
execution  of  Robespierre,  July  29,  1794.  It  is  hard  to 
realize  the  number  of  victims  who  perished  during  this 
terrible  time  when  France  was  in  the  hands  of  a  law- 
less mob. 

Sir  Archibald  Alison,  in  his  "  History  of  Europe," 
says,  — 

"Thus  terminated  the  Reign  of  Terror,  —  a  period  fraught  with 
greater  political  instruction  than  any  of  equal  duration  which  has 
existed  since  the  beginning  of  the  world.  In  no  former  period 
had  the  efforts  of  the  people  so  completely  triumphed,  or  the 
higher  orders  been  so  thoroughly  crushed  by  the  lower.  The 
throne  had  been  overturned,  the  altar  destroyed,  the  aristocracy 
levelled  with  the  dust:  the  nobles  were  in  exile,  the  clergy  in  cap- 
tivity, the  gentry  in  affliction.  A  merciless  sword  had  waved  over 
the  state,  destroying  alike  the  dignity  of  rank,  the  splendor  of 
talent,  and  the  graces  of  beauty.  All  that  excelled  the  laboring 
classes  in  situation,  fortune,  or  acquirement,  had  been  removed : 
they  had  triumphed  over  their  oppressors,  seized  their  possessions, 
and  risen  into  their  stations.  And  what  was  the  consequence  ? 
The  establishment  of  a  more  cruel  and  revolting  tyranny  than  any 
which  mankind  had  yet  witnessed,  the  destruction  of  all  the  chari- 
ties and  enjoyments  of  life,  the  dreadful  spectacle  of  streams  of 
blood  flowing  through  every  part  of  France.  The  earliest  friends, 
the  warmest  advocates,  the  firmest  supporters,  of  the  people,  were 
swept  off  indiscriminately  with  their  bitterest  enemies.  In  the 
unequal  struggle,  virtue  and  philanthropy  sunk  under  ambition 
and  violence,  and  society  returned  into  a  state  of  chaos,  where  all 
the  elements  of  private  or  public  happiness  were  scattered  to  the 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


273 


winds.  Such  are  the  results  of  unchaining  the  passions  of  the 
multitude  ,  such  the  peril  of  suddenly  admitting  the  light  upon  a 
benighted  people.  .  .  .  The  extent  to  which  blood  was  shed  in 
France  during  this  melancholy  period  will  hardly  be  credited  by 
future  ages.  The  republican,  Prudhomme,  whose  prepossessions 
led  him  to  any  thing  rather  than  an  exaggeration  of  the  horrors 
of  the  popular  party,  has  given  the  following  appalling  account  of 
the  victims  of  the  Revolution  :  — 


Nobles  

Noble  women  . 

Wives  of  laborers  and  artisans 

Religieuses  . 

Priests      .  . 


by 


Common  persons,  not  noble 
Guillotined  by  sentence  of  the  revolutionary 
tribunals 

Women  who  died  from  illness  produced 

and  grief  .... 
Women  killed  in  La  Vendue 
Children    «     "  " 
Men  slain  in  La  Vendue  . 
Victims  under  Carrier  at  Nantes 
Children  shot 
Children  drowned 
Women  shot 
Women  drowned . 
Priests  shot . 
Priests  drowned  . 
Nobles  drowned  . 
Artisans  drowned 
Victims  at  Lvons 


c 


Total 


1,278 
750 
1,467 
350 

IJ35 
13.623 

18,603 
excitement 


500 
1,500 
264 
500 
300 
460 
1,400 
5,3oo 


18,603 

3,748 
15,000 
22,000 
900.000 
32,000 


31,000 
1,022,351 


"  In  this  enumeration  are  not  comprehended  the  massacre  at 
Versailles,  at  the  Abbey,  the  Cannes,  or  other  prisons,  on  the  2d 
of  September,  the  victims  of  the  Glaciere  of  Avignon,  those  shot 
at  Toulon  and  Marseilles,  or  the  persons  slain  in  the  little  town  of 
Bedouin,  of  which  the  whole  population  perished.  It  is  in  an  espe- 
cial manner  remarkable,  in  this  dismal  catalogue,  how  large  a  pro- 
portion of  the  victims  of  the  Revolution  were  persons  in  the 


274 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


middling  and  lower  ranks  of  life.  The  priests  and  nobles  guil- 
lotined are  only  2,413,  while  the  persons  of  plebeian  origin  exceed 
13,000!  The  nobles  and  priests  put  to  death  at  Nantes  were  only 
2,160;  while  the  infants  drowned  and  shot  are  2,000,  the  women 
764,  and  the  artisans  5,300 !  So  rapidly,  in  revolutionary  convul- 
sions, does  the  career  of  cruelty  reach  the  lower  orders !  and  so 
wide-spread  is  the  carnage  dealt  out  to  them,  compared  to  that 
which  they  have  sought  to  inflict  on  their  superiors." 


215.    AUTHOR  OF  "GOD  SAVE  THE  KING." 

The  author  of  the  English  national  anthem,  "God 
Save  the  King"  (or  Queen),  was  Dr.  Henry  Carey,  born 
in  London  about  1696,  and  died  1743. 

The  poem  was  written  in  honor  of  a  birthday  of 
George  II.,  but  it  has  undergone  some  changes  as  re- 
gards the  words.  The  music  was  composed  by  Dr. 
John  Bull. 


216.    "LAST  OF  ROMANS." 

Sir  E.  B.  Lytton's  noble  romance  of  "  Rienzi "  has 
painted  in  the  most  attractive  and  glowing  manner  the 
life  and  actions  of  Nicola  Gabrini  Rienzi,  commonly  and 
not  inappropriately  called  "the  last  of  the  Roman  trib- 
unes." He  was  born  in  Rome  about  1312.  His  father 
was  an  innkeeper,  his  mother  a  washerwoman  :  they, 
however,  recognizing  the  natural  abilities  of  their  son, 
gave  him  a  good  education  ;  and  he  became  a  fine  orator. 
His  name  —  Cola  di  Rienzi  —  was  but  an  abbreviation 
of  his  fathers  name,  Lorenzo.  The  assassination  of  his 
brother  by  a  Roman  noble,  whom  he  found  it  impossible 
to  bring  to  punishment,  is  considered  to  be  the  incident 
that  determined  him  to  deliver  Rome,  as  soon  as  he 
was  able,  from  the  thraldom  of  the  barons.    During  the 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


275 


first  half  of  the  fourteenth  century  anarchy  reigned  in 
Rome  :  the  pontifical  residence  had  been  removed  to 
Avignon,  in  the  South  of  France,  where  the  popes 
resided  from  1309  to  1377.  A  set  of  factious  and  tyran- 
nical nobles,  living  in  fortified  castles,  had  established, 
in  their  lawlessness,  a  perfect  reign  of  terror  over  the 
unhappy  citizens,  who  groaned  under  the  oppression 
that  every  day  became  more  intolerable. 

In  1343  Rienzi  was  appointed  by  the  heads  of  the 
Guelph  party,  spokesman,  or  orator,  of  a  deputation  sent 
to  the  papal  court  at  Avignon,  to  beseech  Clement  VI. 
to  return  to  Rome  in  order  to  release  and  defend  the 
citizens  from  the  tyranny  of  their  oppressors.  Here 
he  formed  a  close  friendship  with  Petrarch,  who  in  after- 
years,  when  Rienzi  was  condemned  to  death,  interceded 
for  him,  and  saved  his  life.  After  his  return  to  Rome, 
he  for  three  years  loudly  and  openly  menaced  the  no- 
bles, who  took  no  steps  to  crush  him,  because  they 
thought  he  was  insane.  At  length,  after  a  series  of 
animated  addresses  to  the  people  in  the  streets  and 
in  public  places,  when  he  thought  he  could  rely  upon 
their  assistance,  he  summoned  them  together  on  the 
20th  of  May,  1347;  and,  surrounded  by  one  hundred 
horsemen  and  the  papal  legate,  he  delivered  a  magnifi- 
cent discourse,  and  proposed  a  series  of  laws  for  the 
better  government  of  Rome.  These  were  unanimously 
adopted  :  the  aristocratic  senators  were  driven  out  of 
the  city,  and  Rienzi  was  invested  with  dictatorial  power. 
He  took  the  title  of  "Tribune  of  liberty,  peace,  and 
justice."  The  Pope  confirmed  the  eloquent  dictator  in 
his  authority ;  and  all  Italy,  for  a  time,  rejoiced  in  his 
success. 

After  one  or  two  unsuccessful  attempts  of  the  two 
great  factions  of  the  exiled  nobles  (the  Colonna  and  the 


2/6 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Ursini,  or  Orsini),  who  laid  aside  their  mutual  animosi- 
ties, to  unite  against  a  common  foe,  the  dethronement 
of  Rienzi  was  suddenly  accomplished  by  the  Count  of 
Minorbino,  who  entered  Rome  at  the  head  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  soldiers.  For  seven  years  Rienzi 
remained  an  exile  from  his  native  city,  wandering 
about  from  the  court  of  one  sovereign  to  another :  he 
was  at  last  made  a  prisoner  by  the  Emperor  Charles 
IV.,  who  sent  him  as  a  captive  to  the  papal  court  at 
Avignon. 

On  the  accession  of  Innocent  VI.  to  the  pontificate, 
Rienzi  was  sent  to  Rome  as  the  representative  of  the 
court  of  Avignon,  and  was  hailed  with  every  appearance 
of  triumph  and  rejoicing.  But  his  relations  with  the 
court  of  Avignon  led  the  people  to  regard  him  with 
suspicion  ;  and,  being  unfortunately  compelled  to  levy 
a  tax  upon  them,  they  were  aroused  to  fury ;  and  on 
Oct.  8,  1354,  they  burst  into  the  Capitol,  and  dragged 
him  out,  and  despatched  him  with  numerous  wounds. 
His  head  was  cut  off,  and  his  body  ignominiously  exposed 
to  the  dogs,  and  the  mutilated  remains  committed  to 
the  flames. 

In  the  first  part  of  his  career  he  was  an  enthusiast  in 
the  cause  of  human  rights.  He  took  the  style  of  tribune 
to  recall  the  good  old  times,  "  the  good  estate,"  when 
the  tribunes  of  the  people  checked  the  oppressions  of 
the  consuls  and  the  caprices  of  the  Senate.  With 
power  and  fame,  he  became  ambitious  ;  and  like  Crom- 
well and  Napoleon,  the  "  armed  soldiers  of  democracy," 
he  coveted  a  throne,  and  a  prescriptive  rule.  Of  him 
the  Roman  people  might  have  said,  as  did  Brutus  of 
Julius  Caesar,  "as  he  was  ambitious,  we  slew  him." 

Lord  Byron,  in  his  "  Childe  Harold's  Pilgrimage," 
speaks  of  Rienzi :  — 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


2JJ 


"  Then  turn  we  to  her  latest  tribune's  name, 
From  her  ten  thousand  tyrants  turn  to  thee, 
Redeemer  of  dark  centuries  of  shame  — 
The  friend  of  Petrarch  —  hope  of  Ifaly  — 
Rienzi !  last  of  Romans  !    While  the  tree 
Of  freedom's  withered  trunk  puts  forth  a  leaf, 
Even  for  thy  tomb  a  garland  let  it  be  — 
The  forum's  champion,  and  the  people's  chief — • 

Her  new-born  Numa  thou  —  with  reign,  alas!  too  brief." 


217.    THE  OLDEST  ART. 

Pottery  is  the  oldest,  the  longest,  and  the  most  widely 
diffused,  of  human  arts.  Its  history,  if  it  could  be 
recorded,  would  be  as  old  as  the  history  of  man  :  its 
recorded  history  begins  with  the  building  of  Babel. 

The  oldest  pottery  known  is  Egyptian  ;  but  every 
people,  civilized  or  barbarian,  has  practised  the  art  in 
one  or  another  form. 

All  study  in  every  department  of  art  begins  at  a 
period  not  long  after  the  Mosaic  deluge.  All  art-his- 
tory, when  traced  towards  its  beginning,  is  found  to 
commence  at  a  time  less  than  five  thousand  years  ago. 
There  is  no  work  of  human  hands,  no  result  of  human 
thought,  now  known,  whose  date  is  fixed  at  more  than 
3000  B.C.,  the  earlier  dates  assigned  by  some  able  men 
to  the  Egyptian  monuments  of  ancient  dynasties  being 
theoretical.  The  tombs  at  Beni  Hassan  in  Egypt, 
which  date  from  about  2000  B.C.,  contain  pictures  of 
various  Egyptian  trades  and  industries,  including  a 
pottery,  in  which  appears  the  potter's  wheel  in  use  for 
forming  cups.  The  Egyptians,  therefore,  made  soft  pot- 
tery in  forms  at  this  early  period.  They  possessed  also 
an  art  which  belongs  to  the  class  of  pottery,  though  not 
actually  the  baking  of  clay.    They  carved  small  articles 


278 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


from  steatite,  or  soapstone,  which  they  covered  with  a 
vitreous  substance,  and  baked  in  furnaces,  producing 
a  resemblance  to«  enamelled  pottery.  This  art  was  of 
very  early  origin,  and  specimens  are  known  bearing  the 
names  of  kings  who  reigned  before  2000  B.C. 

The  ceramic  art  probably  went  eastward  as  well  as 
westward  from  the  Euphrates  valley,  but  its  course 
cannot  be  traced.  Westward,  the  Phoenicians  appear 
to  have  possessed  the  art  at  a  period  prior  to  1500  B.C. 

The  best  period  in  the  history  of  pottery  was  from 
400  to  300  B.C.  After  the  latter  date  the  art  declined, 
and  before  the  date  of  the  Roman  empire  was  practi- 
cally abandoned.  The  Greeks  imported  into  Italy,  both 
the  splendid  works  of  their  potteries  and  the  potters 
themselves,  who  produced  similar  fabrics  in  that  country. 
For  a  long  time  these  works  were  attributed  to  the 
Etruscans,  but  it  is  now  known  that  the  Etruscans 
never  excelled  in  the  ceramic  art. 

The  Saracens  possessed  a  knowledge  of  pottery  as 
early  as  the  eighth  century  A.D.,  and  it  was  carried  by 
them  into  Spain.  Whether  Germany  derived  knowl 
edge  of  the  art  from  Saracen  sources,  it  is  impossible 
to  affirm.  But  the  first  work  in  glazed  pottery  in  Chris- 
tian Europe,  of  which  we  have  any  knowledge,  is  found 
at  Leipsic,  where  the  Convent  of  St.  Paul,  finished  in 
1207,  had  a  frieze  of  glazed  or  enamelled  bricks,  with 
raised  figures  of  Christ  and  the  apostles. 

The  most  celebrated  specimens  of  the  potter's  art 
are  found  in  Henri  Deux  ware,  or  faience  d'Oircn,  which 
is  very  rare,  and  of  which  only  fifty-three  specimens  are 
known ;  Palissy  ware,  which  is  of  French  manufacture 
(q.v.) ;  and  Wedgwood,  which  was  manufactured  by  the 
Wedgwood  family  in  England.  The  importance  of 
the  ceramic  art  as  an  aid  to  ethnological  research  is 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


not  less  than  its  importance  as  an  aid  to  the  historian, 
because  it  is  frequently  the  bearer  of  historical  facts, 
inscribed  on  it  in  lasting  characters.  -  The  Babylonian 
and  Ninevite  libraries  were  pottery :  their  books  were 
tablets  of  clay,  on  which  the  letters  were  impressed ; 
and  the  tablets,  being  baked,  became  enduring  pages  of 
history,  that,  in  the  nineteenth  century  after  Christ, 
we  find  as  legible  as  when  printed  :  and  learned  men 
of  to-day  are  translating  them  into  the  modern  lan- 
guages. 

The  Arab-Moors  of  the  mediaeval  period  excelled  in 
beautiful  tiling,  made  into  dados  and  wainscoting,  called 
azulejos,  of  which  fine  specimens  filled  with  arabesque 
designs  are  perfectly  preserved  in  the  Alhambra  of 
Granada. 


218.   THE  WHITE  HORSE  OF  BERKSHIRE. 

On  the  western  boundaries  of  Berkshire,  among  the 
chalk-hills  which  form  a  continuation  of  the  Wiltshire 
Downs,  there  is  a  remarkable  memorial  of  by-gone 
times, — the  renowned  White  Horse  of  Berkshire.  The 
colossal  representation  which  bears  this  name  is  an 
excavation  on  the  side  of  a  steep  green  hill  two  feet 
deep,  showing  the  chalk  of  which  the  hill  is  composed. 
Though  rudely  cut,  the  figure,  when  viewed  from  the 
vale  beneath,  is  easily  recognized  as  a  white  horse  in 
the  act  of  galloping.  Its  length  is  about  374  feet,  and 
the  space  which  it  occupies  is  said  to  be  nearly  two 
acres. 

The  origin  of  this  remarkable  figure  is  involved  in 
doubt ;  but,  according  to  tradition,  it  was  carved  to  com- 
memorate the  victory  of  King  Ethelred  and  his  brother 
Alfred,  afterwards  Alfred  the  Great,  over  the  Danes  at 


280 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Ashdown,  in  the  year  871.  The  actual  site  of  this 
great  battle  is  not  known,  and  has  been  a  subject  of 
much  discussion  ;  but  the  strongest  probability  is  in  favor 
of  White-Horse  Hill,  on  the  summit  of  which,  at  the 
height  of  893  feet  above  the  sea,  is  an  ancient  encamp- 
ment, consisting  of  a  plain  of  more  than  eight  acres  in 
extent,  surrounded  by  a  rampart  and  ditch. 

Immediately  beneath  it  is  the  stupendous  engraving 
of  the  White  Horse.  The  preservation  of  this  time- 
honored  memorial  is  due  to  a  ceremony  known  as  "The 
Scouring  of  the  White  Horse." 

The  inhabitants  of  the  neighboring  district  assemble 
once  every  year,  and  scour  or  clean  out  the  trench  so 
as  to  renew  and  preserve  the  figure  of  the  horse.  The 
festival  which  concludes  their  labors  forms  a  fete  of  one 
or  two  days'  duration,  the  rustics  being  entertained  at 
the  expense  of  the  landlord.  A  most  interesting  and 
graphic  description  of  one  of  these  rural  gatherings, 
which  took  place  in  September,  1857,  is  given  in  "The 
Scouring  of  the  White  Horse,"  from  the  spirited  pen 
of  Mr.  Thomas  Hughes,  the  author  of  "Tom  Brown's 
School-Days." 

See  "  Book  of  Days." 


219.   JOHN  ZISCA. 

This  noted  general  of  Bohemia  took  up  arms  in  the 
year  1419  against  the  Emperor  Sigismund  of  Germany, 
to  revenge  the  deaths  of  John  Huss  and  Jerome  of 
Prague,  who  had  been  cruelly  burned  to  death  for  their 
religious  tenets. 

His  army  amounted  to  forty  thousand  men,  and  he 
defeated  the  emperor  in  several  pitched  battles.  He 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


gave  orders  that  after  his  death  (which  occurred  in  1424) 
his  skin  should  be  made  into  drum-heads,  that  he  might 
still  lead  his  troops  against  his  enemies. 

His  wish  was  religiously  carried  out ;  and  the  skin  of 
the  enthusiastic  Zisca  long  proved  fatal  to  the  emperor, 
for  he  did  not  recover  Bohemia  during  a  space  of  six- 
teen years. 

The  Hussite  war,  as  it  was  called,  was  for  religious 
liberty,  and  was  the  beginning  of  the  great  Reforma- 
tion, John  Huss  having  been  the  first  martyr.  Huss 
and  Jerome  of  Prague  were  burnt  by  order  of  the  Em- 
peror Sigismund,  in  141 7.  It  required  a  hundred  years 
of  darkness  and  doubt,  and  study  and  hope,  to  bring 
about  the  appearance  of  Luther  at  the  Diet  of  Worms. 
Sigismund  violated  his  own  safe-conduct  as  given  to 
Huss.  Charles  V.  kept  his  faith  with  Luther,  but  later 
in  life  regretted  that  he  had. 


220.    VICTOR  HUGO. 

Without  exception,  the  largest  funeral  ever  seen  in 
France  was  that  of  Victor  Hugo,  poet,  author,  and 
dramatist,  who  died  at  Paris,  May  22,  1885,  and  was 
buried  in  the  Pantheon,  June  1,  1885. 

The  number  of  spectators  estimated  to  have  been 
present  was  placed  at  one  million,  of  all  classes  and 
kinds,  each  striving  with  the  other  to  pay  the  greatest 
honor  to  the  dead  poet ;  while  telegrams  of  condolence 
were  sent  from  all  parts  of  the  world. 

At  the  head  of  the  funeral  procession  were  three 
large  wagons  filled  with  floral  tributes  :  among  others 
was  a  beautiful  diadem  of  Irish  lilies,  with  the  inscrip- 
tion, "To  the  World's  Greatest  Poet,"  sent  by  Alfred 
Tennyson,  Poet-Laureate  of  England. 


282 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Victor  Hugo  was  born  at  Besancon,  France,  Feb.  26, 
1802,  and  was  tfre  youngest  of  three  sons  of  Gen. 
Hugo,  who  served  with  honor  through  Napoleon's  cam- 
paigns in  Italy  and  Spain. 

At  an  early  age  he  entered  a  preparatory  school  in 
Paris,  with  a  view  later  on  to  entering  the  Polytechnic 
College :  he  was  but  fifteen  years  of  age  when  he 
aspired  to  the  prize  offered  by  the  Academy  for  the 
best  poem  on  the  advantages  of  study ;  and  the  prize 
was  withheld,  only  because  the  dignitaries  of  that  insti- 
tution took  offence  at  one  of  the  passages  in  the  work, 
which  they  considered  to  be  presumptuous.  Two  years 
later  he  carried  off  two  prizes  at  the  Academy  of  Floral 
Games;  and  in  1821  his  first  volume  of  lyrical  poems 
appeared,  which  not  only  confirmed^  the  high  regard  in 
which  many  of  the  most  eminent  men  of  France  held 
his  genius,  but  also  obtained  for  him  a  pension  of  three 
hundred  francs  from  Louis  XVIII. 

He  married  Adele  Foucher,  a  young  girl  for  whom  he 
had  had  a  romantic  affection  from  the  time  he  was  five 
years  of  age. 

In  1 841  he  was  received  as  a  member  of  the  French 
Academy,  and  soon  after  he  was  raised  to  the  peerage 
of  King  Louis  Philippe. 

In  1 85 1  Victor  Hugo  refused  the  amnesty  offered  by 
Napoleon  III.,  and  went  into  a  voluntary  exile  for 
nineteen  years :  it  was  during  this  time  that  his  most 
brilliant  successes  were  achieved. 

On  the  fall  of  the  Empire  he  hastened  back  to 
France,  and  entered  heartily  into  the  Republican  Gov 
ernment :  he  was  also  returned  to  the  National  Assem- 
bly at  Bordeaux,  which  he  afterward  quitted  in  disgust, 
going  to  Brussels. 

The  Belgian  Government,  alarmed  by  his  violent- 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


283 


writings  and  his  avowed  sympathy  with  the  Com- 
munists, expelled  him  from  the  country ;  and  he  sought 
seclusion  in  Vianden  in  Luxemburg.  He  returned  to 
Paris  in  July,  1 871,  and  lived  a  retired  and  quiet  life 
until  his  death. 

Among  his  principal  works  are  the  tales  "  Notre 
Dame  de  Paris,"  "  Les  Miserables,"  "  Quatre-vingt- 
treize,"  and  "  L' Art  d'etre  Grandpere  ;  "  and  the  plays 
"  Hernani,"  "  Ruy  Bias,"  and  "  Lucrece  Borgia." 


221.    THE  VOCAL  MEMNON. 

Probably  the  most  interesting  and  curious  statue  of 
antiquity  is  that  known  as  the  "Vocal  Memnon,"  on 
the  west  bank  of  the  Nile  at  Thebes,  Egypt. 

This  statue  represents  Amenophis  III.  (about  1500  or 
1600  B.C.),  and  is  the  northernmost  of  two  colossal  sit- 
ting figures  of  black  stone,  forming  a  part  of  a  row  of 
statues  leading  to  the  gate  of  the  palace  of  Amenophis. 

It  is  fifty  feet  high  without  the  base,  and  must  have 
stood  sixty  feet  in  the  air  before  the  soil  of  the  Nile 
covered  the  desert  on  which  it  stands.  The  pedestal 
is  a  solid  stone,  thirty-three  feet  long,  and  twelve  feet 
high. 

According  to  tradition,  sounds  resembling  the  twang- 
ing of  a  harp-string,  or  the  striking  of  brass,  were 
heard  issuing  from  this  statue  every  morning  at  sun- 
rise. On  the  lower  part  of  the  statue  are  seventy-two 
inscriptions  in  Greek  and  Latin,  by  the  Emperor  Ha- 
drian, the  Empress  Sabina,  and  also  by  several  govern- 
ors of  Egypt  and  other  travellers,  official  and  private, 
testifying  that  they  have  heard  the  sound. 

The  "Vocal  Memnon  "  was  thrown  down  by  an  earth- 


284 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


quake,  27  B.C.,  and  lay  undisturbed  until  A.D.  170.  In 
the  time  of  Roman  occupation,  during  the  reign  of 
Septimius  Severus,  it  was  set  up,  and  restored  from  the 
waist  by  brick-work  and  blocks  of  stone ;  but  it  ceased 
to  give  out  sounds. 

One  theory  advanced  as  to  the  sounds  emitted  by 
the  statue  was,  that  they  were  caused  by  the  action  of 
the  sun's  rays  upon  the  dew  that  had  fallen  in  the  crev- 
ices of  the  broken  figure  ;  and  another  was,  that  a  priest 
was  concealed  in  the  lap  of  the  figure,  and  struck  a 
metallic  stone. 

The  Greeks  of  later  ages  confounded  this  statue  with 
that  of  Memnon,  the  son  of  Aurora,  and  one  of  the 
defenders  of  Troy  ;  and  they  believed  that  the  sound 
was  his  morning  salutation  to  his  mother :  hence  the 
statue  is  known  as  the  vocal  or  singing  statue  of 
Memnon. 

As  this  sound  was  to  be  heard  only  as  the  first  rays 
of  the  sun  touched  the  statue,  hundreds  of  persons,  at 
different  times,  from  all  parts  of  Europe,  have  assem- 
bled, and  lain  all  night  at  the  base  of  it,  that  they  might 
observe  the  phenomenon.  Could  an  investigation  be 
made  now,  since  the  discovery  of  converting  light  into 
sound,  the  mystery  that  puzzled  the  ancients  might  be 
satisfactorily  solved. 


222.    THE  TENEBRiE. 

A  religious  funeral  service  in  the  Church  of  Rome, 
held  on  Good  Friday. 

It  consists  of,  first,  a  brilliantly  lighted  church  :  at  a 
signal,  the  lights  are  instantly  extinguished ;  and  for 
some  time  total  darkness  and  silence  reign  supreme,  to 
commemorate  the  three  hours  of  darkness.    When  the 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


285 


church  is  lighted  again,  very  dimly,  a  coffin  is  before 
the  altar,  studded  with  stars,  and  surrounded  with  can- 
dles. The  altar  is  draped  in  black,  and  the  place  where 
the  Host  is  kept  is  open  and  empty. 

The  funeral  service,  called  the  Tenebrae,  then  begins, 
consisting  of  penitential  psalms,  and  ending  with  the 
chanting  of  the  Miserere,  or  fifty-first  psalm. 

The  service  is  very  effective,  and  brings  very  viv- 
idly to  the  mind  the  death  of  Christ. 

The  Pope  always  presides  at  this  service,  in  St. 
Peter's,  Rome. 


223.    ABANDONMENT  OF  SUNDAY  DURING  THE 
FRENCH  REVOLUTION. 

During  the  French  Revolution  royalty  was  abolished, 
and  France  declared  by  the  National  Convention  to  be 
a  Republic,  Sept.  22,  1792.  After  the  Convention  had 
accomplished  the  judicial  murder  of  Louis  XVI.,  Jan. 
21,  1793,  the  "Reign  of  Terror"  began,  under  the 
leadership  of  Danton,  Marat,  and  Robespierre. 

The  infamous  decree  to  abandon  the  Christian  reli- 
gion in  France,  and  to  substitute  for  it  the  worship  of 
Liberty,  Equality,  and  Reason,  was"passed  at  the  insti- 
gation of  Gobet,  Archbishop  of  Paris. 

Churches  were  quickly  despoiled  of  their  ornaments, 
and  civic  feasts  substituted  for  religious  festivals. 

The  Convention  also  enacted  that  time,  instead  of 
being  reckoned  from  the  birth  of  Christ,  should  there- 
after be  reckoned  from  the  birthday  of  the  French 
Republic,  the  year  to  begin  anew  from  that  date ;  and, 
that  the  Christian  Sabbath  might  not  be  observed, 
months  were  to  consist  of  thirty  days  each,  a  day  of 
rest  being  granted  only  at  the  close  of  each  decade 


286 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


(ten  days).  Danton  was  guillotined ;  Marat  was  assas- 
sinated by  Charlotte  Corday  ;  but  the  "  Reign  of  Ter- 
ror" did  not  close  until  the  axe  of  the  guillotine  fell 
upon  the  neck  of  Robespierre,  July  28,  1794. 

In  1795  France  received  a  new  constitution,  the 
third  since  1789.  The  executive  power  was  vested  in 
five  directors,  —  hence  the  name  Directory  given  to 
this  period  of  French  government :  each  director  was 
to  be  in  turn  president  for  three  months.  A  re-ac- 
tion had  set  in,  the  people  awoke  as  from  a  hideous 
dream,  the  laws  of  Robespierre  were  repealed,  the 
churches  were  re-opened  for  Christian  worship,  and 
the  decades  of  the  revolution  gave  place  to  the  ob- 
servance of  Sunday.  But  the  Directory  lasted  only 
four  years  (1 795-1 799),  when  the  Consulate  form  of 
government  was  established,  with  Napoleon  as  First 
Consul.  This  change  in  the  government  was  accom- 
plished without  the  interference  of  the  people,  and 
was,  therefore,  not  revolutionary.  Napoleon  was  now 
master  of  France.  He  made  peace  with  foreign  pow- 
ers, and  applied  himself  to  the  internal  government 
of  the  country.  On  the  18th  of  September,  1801,  he 
made  a  treaty  with  the  Pope,  called  "  The  Concordat," 
by  which  the  Roman-Catholic  religion  was  formally 
re-established  in  France,  and  the  liberties  of  the  Gal- 
lican  Church  were  secured  by  a  series  of  carefully  pre- 
pared provisos. 

We  know  of  no  other  instance  where  the  observance 
of  one  day  in  seven  as  a  holy  day,  or  day  of  rest,  has 
been  abandoned  since  the  command  for  its  regular  ob- 
servance was  given  to  Moses  on  Mount  Sinai.  And  it 
is  a  singular  coincidence,  that,  by  keeping  this  com- 
mand, there  is  at  the  present  a  perpetual  Sabbath  upon 
the  earth,  since  the  Greeks  observe   Monday ;  the 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS.  2%J 

Persians,  Tuesday ;  the  Assyrians,  Wednesday ;  the 
Egyptians,  Thursday ;  the  Turks,  Friday ;  the  Jews, 
Saturday ;  and  the  Christians,  Sunday. 


224.    DANTE'S  "INFERNO." 

Dante  is  called  the  father  of  Italian  literature :  be- 
fore his  time  the  poets  of  Northern  Italy  wrote  in  the 
Provengal  language,  which  was  the  dialect  spoken 
chiefly  in  Southern  France.  But  Dante  wrote  in  Ital- 
ian, and  from  his  time  the  Italian  became  a  real  lan- 
guage. 

His  great  work  is  the  "  Divine  Comedy"  ("Divina 
Commedia"),  an  epic  poem  consisting  of  three  parts, — 
"LTnferno"  ("Hell"),  "II  Purgatorio"  (" Purgatory "), 
and  "II  Paradiso"  ("  Paradise").  This  poem  is  an  alle- 
gory conceived  in  the  form  of  a  vision,  which  was  the 
most  popular  style  of  poetry  in  that  age.  As  a  poem, 
it  is  of  the  highest  order,  and  ranks  Dante  with  Homer 
and  Milton.  The  measure  is  called  terza  rima,  con- 
sisting of  three  lines  (eleven  syllables  each)  so  ar- 
ranged that  the  first  and  third  rhyme  together,  the 
middle  one  with  the  first  and  third  of  the  succeeding 
triplet.    The  whole  work  includes  one  hundred  cantos. 

The  poem  was  written  during  the  nineteen  years 
that  Dante  was  an  exile  from  his  native  city,  Florence, 
under  penalty  of  being  burned  alive  should  he  ever 
return. 

In  the  year  1300  Dante  supposes  himself  to  be  wan- 
dering near  Jerusalem,  and  to  be  favored  with  means 
of  access  to  the  realms  of  shadows.  He  is  met  by  Vir- 
gil, who  offers  to  conduct  him  safely  through  hell  and 
purgatory;  while  Beatrice,  his  "loved  one,"  will  con- 


288 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


duct  him  through  paradise.  During  these  visitations 
he  meets  and  talks  with  those  who  have  been  best 
known  for  good  or  evil  on  the  earth,  especially  in  Flor- 
ence.   The  allegory  has  been  thus  explained :  — 

Dante  is  first  represented  as  wandering  in  a  wood 
(this  life) :  he  comes  to  a  mountain  (fame),  and  begins 
to  climb  it.  First  a  panther  (pleasure),  then  a  lion  (am- 
bition), and  then  a  she-wolf  (avarice),  stand  in  his  path 
to  stay  him.  The  appearance  of  Virgil  (human  wis- 
dom) encourages  him  by  telling  the  poet  he  has  been 
sent  by  three  ladies,  Beatrice  (faith),  Lucia  (grace),  and 
Mercy,  to  conduct  him  through  the  realms  of  hell 
(Canto  II.).  They  soon  reach  a  gateway,  the  gate  of 
hell,  over  which  they  find  inscribed,  "  Who  enters  here 
leaves  hope  behind."  They  pass  through,  and  reach 
the  realm  of  "the  praiseless  and  the  blameless  dead," — 
the  spirits  of  those  not  good  enough  for  heaven,  not 
bad  enough  for  hell. 

Charon  (the  old  man  in  Greek  mythology,  whose 
duty  it  was  to  ferry  the  souls  of  the  deceased  across  the 
river  of  death,  —  Styx,  or  Acheron,  —  and  for  which  he 
always  received  a  small  coin,  which  was  placed  in  the 
mouth  of  the  dead)  ferries  them  across  the  Acheron  to 
Limbo  (Canto  III.).  Here  they  meet  the  spirits  of 
the  unbaptized,  "  blameless  of  sin,"  but  not  members 
of  the  Christian  Church.  Homer,  Horace,  Ovid,  Luc- 
can,  are  here,  and  enroll  Dante  "sixth  of  the  sacred 
band,"  — Virgil  being  the  fifth. 

On  leaving  Limbo  he  passes  with  his  guide  through 
the  seven  gates  which  lead  to  the  inferno,  —  an  enor- 
mous, funnel-shaped  pit,  divided  into  stages.  In  the 
outer  or  first  circle  is  a  vast  meadow,  in  which  roam 
Electra  (mother  of  Dardanus,  founder  of  Troy) ;  Hector 
(one  of  the  most  valiant  of  the  Trojan  chiefs  who  fought 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


289 


against  the  Greeks  at  the  siege  of  Troy) ;  ^Eneas,  a  Tro- 
jan prince,  who,  when  the  city  was  in  flames,  carried 
his  aged  father,  Anchises,  away  on  his  shoulders,  lead- 
ing his  son,  his  wife  following  them  ;  and  Julius  Caesar, 
the  greatest  Roman  ;  Camilla  and  Penthesilea  (a  queen 
of  the  Amazons) ;  Latinus  and  Junius  Brutus,  Lucretia, 
Marcia  (Cato's  wife),  Julia  (Pompey's  wife),  and  Cor- 
nelia (mother  of  the  Gracchi)  ;  and  here,  "  apart  re- 
tired," they  see  Saladin,  the  rival  of  Richard  the  Lion- 
heart  ;  Linos  and  Orpheus ;  Aristotle,  Socrates,  and 
Plato ;  Democritos,  who  ascribed  creation  to  blind 
chance;  Diogenes  the  cynic;  Heraclitos,  Empedocles, 
Anaxagoras,  Thales,  Dioscorides,  and  Zeno,  Cicero  and 
Seneca,  Euclid  and  Ptolemy,  Hippocrates  and  Galen, 
Avincen,  and  Averroes,  the  Arabian  translator  and 
commentator  of  Aristotle  (Canto  IV.). 

From  the  first  circle  they  pass  to  the  second,  where 
Minos  sits  in  judgment  of  those  brought  before  him. 
He  indicates  what  circle  each  is  to  occupy,  by  a  twist 
of  his  tail  around  his  body ;  one  twist  meaning  first 
circle,  two  means  second,  and  so  on.  Here,  says  the 
poet,  is  the  hell  of  carnal  and  sinful  love.  Dante 
recognizes  Semiramis,  Dido,  Cleopatra,  and  Helen ; 
Achilles,  Paris,  Tristan  and  Lancelot  (Canto  V.). 

The  third  is  a  circle  of  still  deeper  woe.  Here  fall 
in  ceaseless  showers,  hail,  black  rain,  and  sleety  flaw  : 
the  air  is  cold,  and  a  foul  stench  rises  from  the  soil. 
Cerberus,  the  watch-dog  with  three  heads,  is  here  to 
prevent  the  living  from  entering,  and  the  dead  from 
escaping :  this  part  of  the  inferno  is  set  apart  for  glut- 
tons. They  pass  to  the  fourth  circle,  presided  over  by 
Plutus,  the  god  of  riches,  a  realm  which  "  hems  in  all 
the  woe  of  all  the  universe."  Here  are  gathered  the 
souls  of  the  avaricious  who  wasted  their  talents,  or 


290 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


made  no  right  use  of  their  wealth  (Canto  VI.).  Cross- 
ing this,  they  come  to  the  "  fifth  steep,"  and  see  the 
Stygian  lake  of  inky  hue.  This  circle  is  a  huge  bog 
in  which  "  the  miry  tribe "  flounder,  and  "  gulp  the 
muddy  lees."  It  is  the  abode  of  those  who  put  no 
restraint  upon  their  anger  (Canto  VII.). 

Then  comes  the  city  of  Dis,  where  the  souls  of  here- 
tics are  "interred  in  vaults"  (Cantos  VIII.  and  IX.). 
Here  Dante  recognizes  Farinata  (a  leader  of  the  Ghibel- 
line  faction),  and  is  informed  that  the  Emperor  Freder- 
ick II.  and  Cardinal  Ubaldim  are  among  the  number 
(Canto  X.). 

The  city  of  Dis  contains  the  next  three  circles 
(Canto  XL),  through  which  Nessus,  a  celebrated  Cen- 
taur, conducts  them  ;  and  here  they  see  the  Minotaur 
and  the  Centaurs.  The  first  circle  of  Dis  (the  sixth) 
is  for  those  who,  by  force  or  fraud,  have  done  violence 
to  man,  as  Alexander  the  Great,  Dionysius  of  Syracuse, 
Attila  the  Hun,  Sextus  and  Pyrrhus  (Canto  XII.). 
The  next  (the  seventh  circle)  is  for  those  who  have 
done  violence  to  themselves,  as  suicides  :  here  are  the 
Harpies,  and  here  the  souls  are  transformed  to  trees 
(Canto  XIII.).  The  eighth  circle  is  for  the  souls  of 
those  who  have  done  violence  to  God,  as  blasphemers 
and  heretics  :  it  is  a  hell  of  burning,  where  it  snows 
flakes  of  fire ;  here  Dante  held  converse  with  Brunetto, 
his  old  schoolmaster  (Cantos  XIV.  and  XV). 

Having  reached  the  confines  of  the  realms  of  Disr 
the  monster  Geyron — "that  image  vile  of  Fraud  ap- 
peared"—  carries  Dante  and  his  guide  across  a  deep 
chasm  into  the  region  of  Malebolge,  the  eighth  circle  of 
inferno,  which  contains  ten  bolgi,  or  pits  (Canto  XVII.). 
In  the  first  is  Jason  ;  the  second  is  for  harlots  (Canto 
XVIII.);  in  the  third  is  Simon  Magus,  "who  prosti- 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


291 


tuted  the  things  of  God  for  gold;"  in  the  fourth,  Pope 
Nicholas  III.  (Canto  XIX.) ;  in  the  fifth,  the  heads  of 
the  ghosts  were  reversed ;  and  here  were  Amphiaraiis, 
famous  for  his  knowledge  of  futurity ;  •  and  Tiresias,  a 
celebrated  prophet  of  Thebes ;  Michael  Scott  the  magi- 
cian, with  all  witches  and  diviners  (Canto  XX.);  in  the 
sixth,  Caiaphas,  and  Annas  his  father-in-law  (Canto 
XXIII.);  in  the  seventh,  robbers  of  churches,  as  Vanni 
Fucci,  who  robbed  the  Sacristy  of  St.  James  in  Pistoia, 
and  charged  Vannidella  Nona  with  the  crime,  for  which 
she  suffered  death  (Canto  XXIV.)  ;  in  the  eighth, 
Ulysses  and  Diomed,  who  were  punished  for  the  strata- 
gem of  the  wooden  horse  at  the  siege  of  Troy  (Cantos 
XXVI.  and  XXVII.);  in  the  ninth,  Mahomet  and  Ali, 
false  prophets  " horribly  mangled"  (Canto  XXVIII.); 
in  the  tenth,  alchemists  (Canto  XXIX.)  ;  coiners  and 
forgers ;  Potiphar's  wife ;  Simon  the  Greek,  who  deluded 
the  Trojans  (Canto  XXX.)  ;  Nimrod,  Ephialtes,  and 
Antaeus,  with  other  giants  (Canto  XXXI.).  Antaeus 
carries  the  two  visitors  into  the  nethermost  hell,  where 
Judas  and  Lucifer  are  confined.  It  is  a  region  of  thick, 
ribbed  ice ;  and  here  they  see  the  frozen  river  Cocytus 
(Canto  XXXII.). 

The  last  persons  the  poet  sees  are  Brutus  and  Cas- 
sius,  the  murderers  of  Julius  Caesar  (Canto  XXXIV.). 
Dante  and  Virgil  then  make  their  exit  on  the  southern 
hemisphere.  This  is  done  that  the  poet  may  visit  pur- 
gatory, which  is  imagined  by  Dante  to  be  a  mountain 
rising  from  mid-ocean,  on  the  top  of  which  lies  paradise. 
(This  synopsis  is  taken  chiefly  from  "The  Readers* 
Handbook : "  Brewer.) 


2()2 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


225.   THE  GOLDEN  ROSE. 

The  institution  of  the  Golden  Rose  dates  from  the 
year  1049,  under  the  pontificate  of  Leo  IX.  This 
Pope,  wishing  to  establish  his  right  of  patronage  over 
the  Monastery  of  the  Holy  Cross  in  Alsace,  exacted 
from  it  every  year  a  golden  rose.  This  custom  still 
exists,  and  the  rose  is  blessed  by  the  Pope  on  the  fourth 
Sunday  in  Lent.  Formerly,  in  the  solemn  papal  pro- 
cession of  the  day,  the  Pope  carried  it  in  his  left  hand, 
while  with  his  right  he  blessed  the  people. 

It  is  usually  presented  to  the  individual  or  the  city 
which,  during  the  year,  has  best  deserved  the  favors  of 
the  Holy  See. 

The  rose  weighs  two  ounces,  and  was  formerly  col- 
ored red  to  signify  the  blood  of  the  Redeemer  shed  for 
his  people.    It  is  now  made  only  in  pale  gold. 

The  gold,  as  the  noblest  of  metals,  is  intended  to 
represent  Christ ;  and  the  fragrance  of  the  rose  refers 
to  his  resurrection. 

The  Republic  of  Venice,  which  was  the  birthplace 
of  several  popes,  possessed  five  of  these  roses  in  the 
treasury  of  St.  Mark's  Church ;  but  during  the  wars 
they  were  lost  or  stolen. 


226.    THE  ROCK  OF  REFUGE. 

In  Hawaii,  one  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  there  is  a 
large,  flat  rock,  called  the  "  Rock  of  Refuge." 

If  a  criminal  reaches  this  rock  before  capture,  he  is 
safe  as  long  as  he  remains  there. 

Usually  his  family  supply  him  with  food  until  he  can 
make  his  escape,  but  he  is  never  allowed  to  return  to 
his  tribe. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


293 


227.    THE  FOUNDATION  OF  VENICE. 

The  city  of  Venice,  founded  in  A.D.  421,  owes  its 
origin  to  a  panic  produced  by  the  invasion  of  Italy  by 
Attila  the  Hun,  called  the  "  Sword  of  Mars." 

Many  inhabitants  of  the  cities  bordering  on  the 
Adriatic  fled  before  the  barbarians  to  the  islands  in  the 
Lagoon :  these  islands,  seventy-two  in  number,  united 
in  time  by  four  hundred  bridges,  became  the  city  and 
state  of  Venice. 

For  eleven  hundred  years  the  colony  thus  formed 
was  governed  by  a  series  of  dukes,  or  doges.  The  order 
of  doges  lasted  from  697  to  1797  :  previous  to  this  the 
government  had  been  for  three  hundred  years  repub- 
lican in  form. 

For  four  hundred  years  Venice  was  the  finest  city  in 
Europe.  Its  glory  began  with  the  Crusades  in  the 
twelfth  century.  Her  position,  favorable  to  commerce, 
led  to  ship-building ;  and  the  hire  of  these  ships  filled 
her  coffers  with  gold.  She  became  a  great  mart  of 
commerce  and  traffic.  Venetian  ships  transported  the 
Crusaders  to  the  Holy  Land,  and  brought  back  the 
spices  and  jewels  of  the  East,  and  the  spoils  of  con- 
quered cities. 

The  manufacturers  of  Venice  soon  became  famous, 
and  the  silk  and  glass  of  Venice  were  unrivalled.  The 
commerce  of  Venice,  which  had  been  the  well-spring 
of  prosperity,  began  to  decline  after  Vasco  de  Gama's 
discovery,  in  1497,  of  an  ocean  route  to  India. 

In  1508  the  League  of  Cambray  (q.v.)  was  formed 
against  the  island  city  by  the  Pope,  the  Emperor  of 
Germany,  and  the  kings  of  France  and  Spain ;  and 
Venice  suffered  a  defeat  from  which  she  never  recov- 
ered.   In  1796  Napoleon  issued  a  declaration  to  the 


294 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


effect  that  the  Venetian  Republic  had  ceased  to  exist. 
In  1866  Venice  was  finally  annexed  to  the  kingdom  of 
Italy. 

Venice  has  added  to  art,  science,  and  literature  many 
notable  names.  We  can  never  be  ungrateful  to  the 
city  which  has  given  to  the  world  a  Titian,  a  Bellini, 
and  a  Tintoretto,  a  Marco  Polo  and  a  Friar  Paul,  an 
Aldus  Manutius,  a  Goldini,  and  a  Canova.  No  city  in 
the  world  has  so  inspired  the  poet's  muse.  Read  in 
this  connection  Byron's  "  Ode  to  Venice,"  also  Canto 
IV.  in  "Childe  Harold,"  Rogers's  "Brides  of  Venice," 
Shakspeare's  "Rialto,"  Ruskin's  "  Stones  of  Venice," 
and  for  full  information,  Adam's  "  Queen  of  the  Adri- 
atic, or,  Venice  Past  and  Present."  In  this  book,  see 
"  Customs  of  Ancient  Venice." 


228.    SOME  AMERICAN  LITERARY  PSEUDONYMES. 

"H.  H.,"  Helen  Hunt  Jackson. 
"  Ik  Marvel,"  Donald  Grant  Mitchell. 
"Pansy,"  Mrs.  Isabella  Alden. 
"  Sophie  May,"  Rebecca  S.  Clarke. 
"Cousin  Alice,"  or  "Alice  E.  Lee,"  Mrs.  Alice 
(Bradley)  Haven. 

"  George  Fleming,"  Julia  Constance  Fletcher. 

"  Margaret  Sidney,"  Mrs.  H.  M.  Lothrop. 

"  Col.  Ingham,"  Edward  Everett  Hale. 

"  Fanny  Forrester,"  Mrs.  Emily  (Chubbuck)  Judson. 

"Frank  Forrester,"  Henry  William  Herbert. 

"  Francis  Forrester,"  Daniel  Wise. 

"Fanny  Fern,"  Mrs.  Sarah  Payson  (Willis)  Parton. 

"Jennie  June,"  Mrs.  Jennie  C.  Croly. 

"  Peter  Parley,"  Samuel  Griswold  Goodrich. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


295 


"Timothy  Titcomb,"  Josiah  Gilbert  Holland. 
"  Elizabeth  Wetherell,"  Susan  Warner. 
"  Florence  Percy,"  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Akers)  Allen. 
"  Martha  Farquherson,"  Martha  Finley. 
"Marian   Harland,"   Mrs.    Mary  Virginia  (Hawes) 
Terhune. 

"Gail  Hamilton,"  Mary  Abigail  Dodge. 

"Howard  Glyndon,"  Mrs.  Laura  C.  (Redden)  Searing. 

"  Porte  Crayon,"  David  Hunter  Strother. 

"  Petroleum  V.  Nasby,"  David  Ross  Locke. 

"Warrington,"  William  S.  Robinson. 

"  Mrs.  Partington,"  Benjamin  P.  Shillaber. 

"  Stella,"  Mrs.  Estelle  Anna  (Robinson)  Lewis. 

"  Grace  Greenwood,"  Mrs.  Sara  J.  Lippincott. 

"Virginia  Champlin,"  Miss  Grace  V.  Lord. 

Constance  Fenimore  Woolson  has  written  some  beau- 
tiful American  stories  under  her  own  name.  She  is  a 
worthy  descendant  of  Fenimore  Cooper  of  Coopers- 
town,  N.Y.,  and  resides  in  Cleveland,  O. 


229.    EARLY  MADONNAS. 

.Madonna  is  an  Italian  word,  signifying  "  My  lady," 
and  is  specially  applied  to  the  Virgin  Mary. 

Representations  of  the  mother  of  Christ  made  their 
appearance  in  the  fifth  century. 

At  first  the  lineaments  were  copied  from  the  pictures 
of  Christ,  according  to  tradition,  which  declared  that 
the  Saviour  resembled  his  mother. 

Among  the  earliest  of  these  representations  is  the 
Madonna  by  Guido  da  Siena,  dated  131 1,  in  the  Church 
of  St.  Dominic,  Siena. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  names  applied  to  the 


296 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Madonna  pictures  are  of  modern  invention,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  distinguishing  them  one  from  the  other. 

The  earliest  Madonnas  were  representations  of  the 
mother  without  the  Child ;  it  was  only  after  the  Nes- 
torian  heresy,  in  431,  that  the  Child  was  added. 

In  some  of  them,  St.  John  the  Baptist,  a  near  rela- 
tive and  forerunner  of  Christ,  appears  also  as  a  child. 

Raphael  painted  fifty  Madonnas  :  one  of  the  most 
celebrated  is  his  representation  of  the  Madonna  en- 
throned as  the  Queen  of  Heaven  surrounded  by  angels. 
It  is  now  in  the  Vatican. 

Another  is  the  Madonna  del  Pesce  (of  the  fish),  in 
the  Madrid  Museum  ;  but  most  celebrated  of  all  is  the 
Sistine  Madonna,  painted  in  15 15  for  the  Church  of 
San  Sisto  in  Piacenza,  at  present  the  masterpiece  of  the 
Dresden  gallery,  (q.v.) 

When  Murillo  was  painting  in  a  convent  in  Spain,  he 
thoughtlessly  promised  one  of  the  serving-brothers  to 
paint  him  a  picture.  Being  importuned  to  redeem  his 
promise,  he  made  many  excuses  :  the  last  was  that  he 
had  no  canvas.  "  Paint  it  upon  this,"  said  the  monk, 
spreading  out  his  napkin.  This  was  done;  and  now,  in 
the  gallery  at  Seville,  is  "  La  Madonna  de  la  Servilleta" 
("The  Madonna  of  the  Napkin"). 


230.    THE  ORIGIN  OF  THIMBLES. 

It  is  said  that  thimbles  (which  are  claimed  as  a  Dutch 
invention)  have  been  found  at  Herculaneum. 

The  etymology  of  thimble  is  from  thumb-bell ;  as  it 
was  formerly  worn,  like  sailors'  thimbles,  on  the  thumb. 

The  Germans  call  the  thimble  finger-hut  (finger-hat). 

A  silver  thimble  is  a  very  small  thing;  yet  it  takes 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


297 


more  than  twenty  men,  besides  a  great  deal  of  costly 
machinery,  to  make  one. 

The  manufacture  of  thimbles  was  introduced  into 
England  from  Holland,  in  1695,  by  John  Softing. 


231.    THE  MOORS. 

In  the  Middle  Ages,  all  the  Mohammedans  were 
called  Moors ;  but,  more  strictly  speaking,  the  Moors, 
or  Mauri,  were  natives  of  that  part  of  Northern  Africa 
called  Mauritania. 

After  the  Saracens  had  conquered  Northern  Africa, 
they  invaded  Spain  through  Mauritania  (711),  conquer- 
ing the  whole  country  except  two  districts  in  the  North. 
All  the  conquered  people  were  compelled  to  embrace 
the  Mohammedan  religion,  though  the  Christians  took 
every  opportunity  to  resist  the  invaders. 

Cordova,  a  magnificent  city,  became  the  Moorish  cap- 
ital, and  a  great  seat  of  learning  ;  and,  while  the  greater 
part  of  Europe  was  sunk  in  barbarism,  the  arts  and 
sciences  flourished  among  the  Mohammedan  Arabs  and 
Moors  of  Spain. 

The  Moorish  kingdom  lasted  from  the  middle  of 
the  eighth  century  to  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth 
century. 

The  Christians  became  more  and  more  powerful,  and 
skirmishes  more  and  more  frequent ;  but  the  Moors 
continued  to  be  the  ruling  power  until  the  accession  of 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  when  the  last  stronghold  of  the 
Moors  (Grenada)  was  taken  from  them  in  1492. 

Such  as  would  not  embrace  the  Christian  religion 
were  then  expelled  from  Spain,  but  the  final  expulsion 
of  the  whole  race  did  not  take  place  until  the  accession 


298 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


of  Philip  III.  (1598).  He  instituted  a  persecution  of 
the  Moors,  which  ended  by  his  driving  six  hundred 
thousand  Moors  from  Spain  in  1609. 

As  they  were  a  very  industrious  people,  they  were  a 
great  loss  to  the  nation,  and  Spain  has  never  recovered 
her  prestige. 

A  "  History  of  the  Conquest  of  Spain  by  the  Arab- 
Moors,"  with  a  sketch  of  the  civilization  which  they 
achieved,  and  imparted  to  Europe,  by  Dr.  Henry  Coppee 
of  Lehigh  University,  is  the  best  book  to  read  upon 
this  subject. 


232.    THE  WANDERING  JEW. 

The  legends  of  the  Wandering  Jew  are  numerous 
and  varied ;  but  the  germs  out  of  which  they  have  all 
been  developed  are  the  words  of  the  gospel,  "  Verily 
I  say  unto  you,  There  be  some  standing  here,  which 
shall  not  taste  of  death,  till  they  see  the  Son  of  man 
coming  in  His  kingdom  "  (Matt.  xvi.  28  ;  Mark  ix.  1). 

One  of  these  has  been  conjectured  to  be  the  disciple 
John,  of  whom  Christ  said  to  Peter,  on  another  occa- 
sion, "  If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come,  what  is  that 
to  thee?"  and  others,  as  Elias,  Enoch,  and  our  Jew, 
have  been  named  as  among  the  number  of  those  who 
should  not  die  until  He  came  again.  The  earliest  men- 
tion of  the  Wandering  Jew  is  to  be  found  in  the  book 
of  the  chronicles  of  the  Abbey  of  St.  Alban's,  which 
was  copied  by  Matthew  Paris. 

He  records  that  in  the  year  1228  — 

"  A  certain  archbishop  of  Armenia  Major  came  on  a  pilgrimage 
to  England,  to  see  the  relics  of  the  saints,  and  visit  the  sacred 
places  in  the  kingdom,  as  he  had  done  in  others :  he  also  produced 
letters  of  recommendation  from  his  Holiness  the  Pope,  to  the 
religious  men  and  prelates  of  the  churches,  in  which  they  were 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


299 


enjoined  to  receive  and  entertain  him  with  due  reverence  and 
honor.  On  his  arrival  he  went  to  St.  Alban's,  where  he  was  re- 
ceived with  all  respect  by  the  abbot  and  monks :  at  this  place, 
being  fatigued  with  his  journey,  he  remained  some  days,  to  rest 
himself  and  his  followers ;  and  a  conversation  was  commenced 
between  him  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  convent,  by  means  of  their 
interpreters,  during  which  he  made  many  inquiries  concerning  the 
religion  and  religious  observances  of  this  country,  and  related 
many  strange  things  concerning  Eastern  countries. 

"  In  the  course  of  conversation,  he  was  asked  whether  he  had 
ever  seen  or  heard  any  thing  of  Joseph,  a  man  of  whom  there  was 
much  talk  in  the  world,  who,  when  our  Lord  suffered,  was  present, 
and  spoke  to  Him,  and  who  is  still  alive,  in  evidence  of  the  Chris- 
tian faith  :  in  reply  to  which,  a  knight  in  his  retinue,  who  was  his 
interpreter,  replied,  speaking  in  French,  '  My  lord  well  knows  that 
man ;  and  a  little  before  he  took  his  way  to  the  Western  countries, 
the  said  Joseph  ate  at  the  table  of  my  lord  the  archbishop  in 
Armenia;  and  he  had  often  seen,  and  held  converse  with,  him.'  He 
was  then  asked  about  what  had  passed  between  Christ  and  the 
same  Joseph,  to  which  he  replied,  '  At  the  time  of  the  suffering 
of  Jesus  Christ,  He  was  seized  by  the  Jews,  and  led  into  the  hall 
of  judgment  before  Pilate,  the  governor,  that  He  might  be  judged 
by  him  on  the  accusation  of  the  Jews ;  and  Pilate,  finding  no 
cause  for  adjudging  Him  to  death,  said  to  them,  ''Take  Him,  and 
judge  Him  according  to  your  law : "  the  shouts  of  the  Jews,  how- 
ever, increasing,  he,  at  their  request,  released  unto  them  Barabbas, 
and  delivered  Jesus  to  them  to  be  crucified.  When,  therefore, 
the  Jews  were  dragging  Jesus  forth,  and  had  reached  the  door, 
Cartaphilus,  a  porter  of  the  hall,  in  Pilate's  service,  as  Jesus  was 
going  out  of  the  door,  impiously  struck  Him  on  the  back  with  his 
hand,  and  said  in  mockery,  u  Go  quicker,  Jesus,  go  quicker :  why 
do  you  loiter?"  and  Jesus,  looking  back  on  him  with  a  severe 
countenance,  said  to  him,  "I  am  going,  and  you  will  wait  till  I 
return."  And,  according  as  our  Lord  said,  this  Cartaphilus  is  still 
awaiting  His  return.  At  the  time  of  our  Lord's  suffering  he  was 
thirty  years  old,  and  when  he  attains  the  age  of  a  hundred  years 
he  always  returns  to  the  same  age  as  he  was  when  our  Lord  suf- 
fered. After  Christ's  death,  when  the  Catholic  faith  gained  ground, 
this  Cartaphilus  was  baptized  by  Ananias  (who  also  baptized  the 
apostle  Paul),  and  was  called  Joseph.    He  often  dwells  in  both 


300 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


divisions  of  Armenia,  and  other  Eastern  countries,  passing  his 
time  amidst  the  bishops  and  other  prelates  of  the  Church  :  he  is 
a  man  of  holy  conversation,  and  religious  ;  a  man  of  few  words, 
and  circumspect  in  his  behavior  ;  for  he  does  not  speak  at  all, 
unless  when  questioned  by  the  bishops  and  religious  men ;  and 
then  he  tells  of  the  events  of  old  times,  and  of  the  events  which 
occurred  at  the  suffering  and  resurrection  of  our  Lord,  and  of  the 
witnesses  of  the  resurrection,  namely,  those  who  rose  with  Christ, 
and  went  into  the  holy  city,  and  appeared  unto  men.  He  tells  of 
the  creed  of  the  apostles,  and  of  their  separation  and  preaching. 
And  all  this  he  relates  without  smiling,  or  levity  of  conversation, 
as  one  who  is  well  practised  in  sorrow  and  the  fear  of  God,  always 
looking  forward  with  fear  to  the, coming  of  Jesus  Christ,  lest  at 
the  last  judgment  he  should  find  Him  in  anger,  whom,  when  on 
His  way  to  death,  he  had  provoked  to  just  vengeance.  Numbers 
came  to  him  from  different  parts  of  the  world,  enjoying  his  society 
and  conversation  ;  and  to  them,  if  they  are  men  of  authority,  he 
explains  all  doubts  on  the  matters  on  which  he  is  questioned.  He 
refuses  all  gifts  that  are  offered  to  him,  being  content  with  slight 
food  and  clothing.  He  places  his  hope  of  salvation  on  the  fact 
that  he  sinned  through  ignorance;  for  the  Lord,  when  suffering, 
prayed  for  His  enemies  in  these  words :  '  Father,  forgive  them,  for 
they  know  not  what  they  do.'  " 

Three  centuries  later,  1547,  the  same  version  of  the 
legend  appeared  in  Germany,  with  only  the  name  Car- 
taphilus  changed  to  Ahasuerus.  In  1575  he  appeared 
in  Spain,  and  was  vouched  for  by  persons  in  high 
authority.  In  1599  he  was  seen  at  Vienna:  in  1601 
this  Ahasuerus  was  at  Lubeck,  also  in  the  same  year 
was  seen  in  Revel  in  Livonia,  and  in  Cracow  in  Poland. 
In  Moscow  he  was  seen  and  spoken  to  by  many  per- 
sons. In  1604  he  appeared  in  Paris;  in  1633  he  was 
again  in  Hamburg;  in  1640,  in  Brussels;  in  1642 
he  is  reported  to  have  visited  Leipzig.  On  the  22d 
of  July,  172 1,  he  appeared  at  the  gates  of  the  city  of 
Munich.  Some  impostors,  claiming  to  be  the  mysteri- 
ous Wandering  Jew,  appeared  in  England  as  late  as 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


30I 


18 1 8,  1824,  1830.  But  the  last  appearance  of  such  a 
personage  as  seemed  to  have  some  claim  upon  the 
credulity  of  the  people  was  in  1774,  when  he  passed 
through  Brussels  into  Brabant. 

Gustave  Dore,  in  his  wonderful  illustrations  of  the 
Wandering  Jew,  has,  perhaps,  done  more  than  chroni- 
cler or  poet  to  foster  the  belief  that  it  is  not  impossi- 
ble with  God  to  preserve  a  living  witness  upon  the 
earth  of  His  death  and  resurrection  until  His  coming 
again. 

At  any  rate,  it  is  impossible  to  linger  over  those 
noble  woodcuts,  and  fail  to  learn  something  new  each 
time  :  they  are  picture-poems,  which  only  a  master-hand, 
guided  by  a  master-mind,  could  develop  and  execute. 


233.    THE  PROPHETS  AND  SIBYLS  OF  THE  SISTINE 
CHAPEL. 

The  Sibyls,  according  to  the  legends,  stand,  in  the 
Middle  Ages,  next  in  importance  to  the  prophets  of 
the  Old  Testament.  It  was  their  office  to  foretell  the 
coming  of  Christ  to  the  heathen,  as  it  was  that  of 
the  prophets  to  announce  him  to  the  Jews. 

The  Sibyls  are  alluded  to  by  Greek,  Roman,  and  Jew- 
ish writers,  and  by  many  of  the  Christian  Fathers.  The 
undisputed  authority  of  the  Sibylline  books  among  the 
pagans,  soon  suggested  the  pious  fraud  of  interpolating 
them. 

The  direct  allusions  to  the  Messiah,  which  they  con- 
tain, are  supposed  to  have  been  inserted  in  the  second 
century. 

Notwithstanding  their  doubtful   authenticity,  they 
continued  to  be  held  in  veneration,  not  only  through  4 
the  Middle  Ages,  but  until  a  comparatively  modern 


302 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


date.  Sibyls  were  represented  in  connection  with 
Scripture  subjects,  even  after  Michael  Angelo's  day. 

St.  Augustine  speaks  of  the  Erythraean  Sibyl's  testi- 
mony immediately  before  he  adverts  to  the  prophets 
of  the  Old  Testament. 

"  Sibyllists  "  was  a  name  of  reproach  given  to  early 
Christians ;  because,  in  their  disputes  with  Pagans, 
they  quoted  the  authority  of  their  own  prophetess 
against  them. 

The  Sistine  Sibyls  are,  the  Delphic,  the  Erythraean, 
the  Persian,  the  Cumaean,  the  Libyan. 

•  DIES  IRjE. 

"  Dies  irae,  dies  ilia, 
Solvet  saeclum  in  favilla, 
Teste  David  cum  sibylla" 


234.    THE  GREAT  BED  OF  WARE. 

In  Shakspeare's  "Twelfth  Night,"  Act.  III.,  Scene 
2,  Sir  Toby  Belch  wickedly  urges  Sir  Andrew  Ague- 
cheek  to  pen  a  challenge  to  his  supposed  rival,  and  to 
put  into  it  "as  many  lies  as  will  lie  in  thy  sheet  of 
paper,  although  the  sheet  were  big  enough  for  the  bed 
of  Ware  in  England."  The  enormous  bed  alluded  to 
was  a  wonder  in  the  age  of  Shakspeare,  and  still  exists 
in  Ware. 

It  is  seven  feet  six  inches  high,  and  ten  feet  nine 
inches  square ;  so  that  twelve  people  can  lie  comfort- 
ably in  it. 

It  is  very  elegantly  carved,  and  is  a  magnificent 
specimen  of  antique  furniture,  though  not  older  than 
the  reign  of  Elizabeth. 

It  has  been  visited  by  multitudes  of  travellers ;  and 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


303 


it  is  customary  for  a  company,  on  seeing  the  bed,  to 
drink  from  a  can  of  beer  a  toast  appropriate  to  it.  In 
the  same  room  with  the  bed,  there  hung  a  pair  of  horns, 
upon  which  all  strangers  were  sworn,  as  at  Highgate. 


235.    CRGESUS,  KING  OF  LYDIA. 

Croesus,  King  of  Lydia,  Asia  Minor,  came  to  the 
throne  about  562  B.C.  He  is  the  richest  man  men- 
tioned in  history.  His  landed  estate  has  been  esti- 
mated at  $8,333,330.  His  wealth  has  been  variously 
accounted  for.  The  capital  of  his  kingdom  was  Sardis, 
on  the  river  Pactolus,  about  forty-five  miles  from 
Smyrna.  To  this  river,  which  brought  considerable 
quantities  of  gold  in  its  sand,  is  ascribed  the  abundant 
treasures  belonging  to  Croesus  and  his  predecessors  ; 
but  Croesus  possessed,  besides,  other  mines,  near  Per- 
gamus  ;  and  still  another  source  of  his  wealth  is  to  be 
found  in  the  general  industry  of  the  Lydian  people. 

They  were  the  first  (according  to  Herodotus)  to  carry 
on  retail  trade,  and  the  first  to  coin  money  of  gold  and 
silver. 

Croesus  was  also  a  great  conqueror,  and  at  one  time 
ruled  over  thirteen  nations.  He  built  a  magnificent 
palace  in  Sardis,  and  otherwise  adorned  his  capital. 
He  used  to  invite  great  men  to  his  palace,  and  give 
them  royal  entertainment.  Among  the  number  was 
^Esop,  a  Greek  writer  of  fables,  born  about  620  B.C., 
whom  he  invited  to  live  at  his  court.  Croesus  sent  him 
at  one  time  to  Delphi,  to  consult  the  oracle  there  ;  and 
it  is  said  that  the  Delphians,  getting  angry  at  his  mak- 
ing fun  of  them,  put  him  to  death  by  throwing  him 
from  a  high  rock. 


304 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Solon,  an  Athenian  law-giver,  born  about  638  B.C., 
and  one  of  the  Seven  Wise  Men  of  Greece,  also  vis- 
ited Croesus  at  Sardis.  After  showing  him  his  treas- 
ures, he  asked  Solon  whom  he  thought  was  the  happiest 
man  in  the  world,  expecting  to  hear  himself  named. 
"The  man  whom  Heaven  smiles  upon  to  the  last,"  said 
Solon. 

This,  Crcesus  considered  as  a  rebuff,  and  neglected 
Solon. 

Not  long  after,  Cyrus,  King  of  Persia,  made  war 
upon  Lydia,  and  took  Sardis  by  storm  (548  B.C.). 
Croesus  was  taken  prisoner,  and  condemned  to  be 
burned  alive.  When  the  pile  was  about  to  be  lighted, 
Crcesus  cried  out,  "  Solon !  Solon  !  Solon  ! "  Cyrus 
asked  what  he  meant,  and,  when  he  was  told,  ordered 
Croesus  to  be  set  at  liberty  ;  and  he  made  him  his 
friend  and  adviser  the  rest  of  his  life,  allowing  him  to 
retain  the  title  of  king. 

In  the  time  of  Christ,  Sardis  was  destroyed  by  a 
terrible  earthquake.  It  was  afterwards  rebuilt  by  the 
Romans.  In  1402  Sardis  was  almost  entirely  destroyed 
again  by  Timour. 

Remains  of  the  palace  of  Crcesus,  and  of  other  rich 
buildings,  can  still  be  seen  there. 


236.    SONGS  OF  THE  GONDOLIERS  OF  VENICE. 

For  more  than  two  hundred  years  the  gondoliers  of 
Venice  sang  no  other  songs  than  strophes  from  Tasso's 
immortal  epic,  "Jerusalem  Delivered."  This  poem  com- 
memorates the  delivery  of  Jerusalem  from  the  Sara- 
cens ;  and  the  hero  of  the  poem  is  Godfrey  de  Bouillon 
(1060-1100),  the  first  Christian  king  of  Jerusalem. 

Torquato  Tasso,  the  author  of  "Jerusalem  Deliv- 


\  PETER  PAUL  REUBENS 


Curious  Questions,    Vol.  I.,  page  305. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS.  305 

ered,"  was  born  at  Sorrento,  in  1544.  Venice  cannot, 
therefore,  claim  him  as  her  son ;  but  he  has  always 
been  the  favorite  poet  of  the  Venetians,  and  is  still 
read  and  studied  in  the  city  of  the  Adriatic. 

Tasso  became  melancholy,  and  was  for  seven  years 
confined  by  the  duke,  Alfonso,  in  an  insane-asylum. 
When  released,  he  went  to  Naples.  Pope  Clement 
VIII.  invited  him  to  Rome,  to  receive  the  laurel-crown 
of  poet ;  but  he  died  before  the  ceremony  took  place, 
April,  1595,  and  was  buried  on  the  very  day  on  which 
he  was  to  have  been  crowned. 


237.    PETER  PAUL  RUBENS. 

John  Lothrop  Motley,  author  of  the  "  Dutch  Repub- 
lic," writes,  in  a  letter  from  Brussels,  1853,  quoted  by 
Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  in  his  Memoirs  of  Motley,  — 

"There  are  a  few  good  Rubenses  here,  but  the  great  wealth  of 
that  master  is  in  Antwerp.  The  great  picture  of  the  4  Descent 
from  the  Cross '  is  free  again,  after  having  been  ten  years  in  the 
repairing-room. 

"  It  has  come  out  in  good  condition.  What  a  picture  !  It 
seems  to  me  as  if  I  had  really  stood  at  the  cross,  and  had  seen 
Mary  weeping  on  John's  shoulder,  and  Magdalen  receiving  the 
dead  body  of  the  Saviour  in  her  arms.  Never  was  the  grand 
tragedy  represented  in  so  profound  and  dramatic  a  manner.  For 
it  is  not  only  in  his  color,  in  which  this  man  so  easily  surpasses  all 
the  world,  but  in  his  life-like,  rlesh-and-blood  action,  —  the  tragic 
power  of  his  composition.  .  .  .  Well  might  Guido  exclaim, 'The 
fellow  mixes  blood  with  his  colors  ! '  .  .  .  I  defy  any  one  of  the 
average  amount  of  imagination  and  sentiment,  to  stand  long  before 
the  '  Descent  from  the  Cross '  without  being  moved  more  nearly 
to  tears  than  he  would  care  to  acknowledge." 

This  is  high  praise,  both  for  the  master  and  his  mas- 
terpiece ;  but  this  is  only  one  of  eighteen  hundred 


306 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


finished  paintings  by  Rubens.  His  gorgeous  coloring 
has  always  been  the  chief  characteristic  of  his  school. 
There  are  twelve  hundred  engravings  of  his  works. 
His  two  most  famous  pictures,  the  "  Raising  of  the 
Cross  "  and  the  "  Descent  from  the  Cross,"  are  in  the 
Antwerp  Cathedral  ;  and  many  of  his  choice  works  are 
in  the  academy  of  the  same  town. 

This  famous  painter  was  born  at  Cologne,  Germany, 
June  29,  1577,  and  died  at  Antwerp,  May  30,  1640. 
Liibke  says  of  him,  — 

"  He  was  one  of  the  most  brilliant,  accomplished,  and  versatile 
geniuses  in  the  whole  history  of  art.  .  .  .  Soon  the  fame  of  his 
great  ability  spread  all  over  the  world ;  and  the  courts  of  Spain, 
France,  and  England  heaped  commissions  and  honors  upon  him." 

In  1620  Marie  de'  Medici  invited  him  to  France,  and 
he  executed  many  great  works  for  her.  In  the  Louvre 
are  twenty-one  paintings,  representing,  allegorically,  the 
history  of  Marie  de'  Medici.  He  also  painted  some 
brilliant  genre  pictures  (q.v.),  such  as  the  "Peasant's 
Dance  "  in  the  Louvre. 

The  most  of  his  paintings  are  large,  and  crowded 
with  figures.  Some  of  them  are  of  colossal  size,  and 
may  be  seen  in  the  various  churches  of  his  country, 
and  in  nearly  all  the  galleries  and  museums  of  Europe. 
Liibke  says,  again,  — 

"  Besides  all  this,  Rubens  was  an  architect ;  and,  in  addition  to 
all  these  occupations  as  an  artist,  he  was  a  man  prominent  in  the 
higher  social  life  of  his  day,  —  the  associate  of  princes  and  diplo- 
mates,  —  and  often,  even,  as  has  been  said  before,  intrusted  with 
political  missions  to  foreign  courts.  Thus,  in  him,  more  than  in 
any  other  contemporary  master,  do  we  find  united  all  the  richness 
and  splendor  of  the  life  of  that  brilliant  age." 

He  was  named  Peter  Paul,  because  his  birthday  was 
the  feast  of  Saints  Peter  and  Paul. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


307 


238.    PENELOPE'S  WEB. 

Perhaps  no  story  in  Greek  history  brings  out  in  as 
strong  relief  the  devotion  of  a  woman's  heart  as  the 
story  of  Penelope. 

When  Menelaus,  King  of  Sparta,  called  upon  the 
Greek  heroes  to  remember  their  vow  to  stand  by  him, 
and  punish  any  one  who  might  attempt  to  deprive  him 
of  his  beautiful  wife  Helen,  whom  Paris  had  now  carried 
away  to  Troy,  they  all  responded  to  the  call  but  Ulysses, 
King  of  Ithaca.  He  could  not  make  up  his  mind  to 
leave  his  own  fair  young  wife,  and  son  Telemachus, 
and  enter  upon  a  war  which  he  knew  would  be  long  and 
severe.  He  feigned  madness,  but  was  detected  in  it, 
and  forced  at  last  to  join  in  the  expedition  against 
Troy. 

During  the  twenty  years  that  Ulysses  was  absent,  — 
ten  spent  in  the  siege  of  Troy,  and  ten  returning,  — 
Penelope  was  overwhelmed  with  suitors,  who  declared 
that  Ulysses  was  dead,  and  that  she  must  choose  one 
among  them  as  her  husband.  But  with  true  devotion, 
cherishing  the  hope  that  Ulysses  would  yet  return,  she 
put  off  her  numerous  suitors,  on  the  pretext  that  she 
must  first  finish  the  winding-sheet  she  was  making  for 
her  father-in-law  Laertes.  In  order  to  extend  the  time, 
she  unravelled  by  night  all  she  had  woven  during  the 
day.  Thus,  a  seemingly  endless  task  is  said  to  be 
"like  Penelope's  web."  Her  faithfulness  was  rewarded, 
at  the  end  of  twenty  years,  by  the  return  of  Ulysses. 

The  story  of  Ulysses'  wanderings,  temptations,  and 
hardships,  is  the  subject  of  the  grand  Greek  epic  of 
Homer,  called  the  "  Odyssey,"  from  his  right  Greek 
name,  "  Odysseus." 


3o8 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


239.    PERFIDIOUS  ALBION. 

After  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  which  closed  the  last 
great  European  war,  Napoleon  fled  to  the  coast,  intend- 
ing to  take  refuge  in  the  United  States ;  but,  finding  it 
impossible  to  evade  the  British  cruisers,  he  determined 
to  throw  himself  upon  the  generosity  of  the  British 
nation. 

On  the  14th  of  July  he  despatched  an  officer  to  the 
Prince  Regent  of  England, — afterwards  George  IV., — 
announcing,  that,  his  political  career  having  come  to  an 
end,  he  came,  like  Themistocles  of  old,  to  throw  him- 
self upon  the  hospitality  of  the  British  nation,  and  to 
claim  the  protection  of  her  arms.  He  then  embarked 
in  the  English  ship-of-war  "  Bellerophon,"  with  his  suite, 
and  sailed  for  England.  He  was  not,  however,  allowed 
to  land,  and,  being  kept  in  suspense  on  board  ship  for 
several  weeks,  was  finally  exiled  to  St.  Helena. 

When  transferred  to  the  ship  "  Northumberland," 
which  was  to  convey  him,  with  a  few  faithful  friends, 
to  St.  Helena,  he  exclaimed,  as  the  shores  of  England 
receded,  "  Perfidious  Albion  !  "  (Albion  the  ancient  name 
of  England). 

After  six  years'  imprisonment,  on  the  5th  of  May, 
1 82 1,  Napoleon  died  at  St.  Helena,  of  cancer  of  the 
stomach,  aged  fifty-one  years. 

In  1840,  a  quarrel  between  England  and  France  being 
settled,  Great  Britain  agreed,  as  a  peace-offering,  that 
the  remains  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon  should  be  removed 
from  St.  Helena  to  France. 

By  order  of  King  Louis  Philippe,  they  were  conveyed 
to  Paris,  and  interred  in  the  chapel  of  L'Hotel  des 
Invalides,  with  imposing  ceremonies,  Dec.  15,  1840. 

His  tomb  is  in  the  middle  of  the  chapel,  and  nineteen 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


309 


feet  below  the  floor,  in  a  large  open  space,  circular  in 
form,  and  surrounded  by  a  marble  balustrade,  on  which 
are  engraved  the  names  of  the  principal  victories  won 
by  the  emperor.  "Looking  over  the  balustrade  into 
the  open  space  below,  the  massive  sarcophagus  of  por- 
phyry,  brought  from  Finland,  may  be  seen,  which  en- 
closes the  mortal  remains  of  the  great  Napoleon.  It 
rests  upon  a  pedestal  of  green  granite  brought  from 
the  Vosges  Mountains.  Twelve  colossal  statues  of 
Victory  support  the  marble  balustrade,  and  face  the 
tomb.  The  pavement  is  in  mosaic,  with  festoons  of 
flowers,  and  the  names  of  Napoleon's  greatest  victories. 
At  one  end  of  the  crypt  is  a  niche  of  black  marble,  in 
which  stands  a  statue  of  Napoleon  in  his  imperial  robes. 
A  lamp,  always  burning,  hangs  before  it ;  and  under 
the  lamp  is  an  antique  altar,  on  which  are  laid  the  three 
keys  of  the  coffins  in  which  the  body  was  placed  at  St. 
Helena,  the  sword  used  by  the  emperor  at  Austerlitz, 
the  hat  he  wore  at  Eylau,  and  the  gold  crown  presented 
to  him  by  the  city  of  Cherbourg.  On  each  side  of  the 
vault  are  standards  taken  in  his  battles. 

"  Two  winding  stairways  under  the  high  altar  of  the 
church  lead  to  the  tomb,  the  entrance  to  which  is  closed 
by  two  superb  bronze  gates ;  and  on  each  side  of  the 
entrance  are  the  tombs  of  Marshals  Duroc  and  Bertrand, 
Napoleon's  most  devoted  friends  in  life,  and  the  guard- 
ians of  his  rest  in  death.  Over  the  portal  of  the  en- 
trance is  the  inscription,  taken  from  the  emperor's 
last  will,  ■  I  wish  my  ashes  to  repose  on  the  banks  of 
the  Seine,  in  the  midst  of  that  French  people  whom  I 
have  loved  so  well.'  Visitors  are  not  allowed  to  enter 
the  vault,  but  must  pause  at  the  closed  gates.  No 
rude  sounds  are  heard  around  the  ashes  of  the  great 
soldier;  and,  in  the  church  above,  the  crowd  is  silent 


3io 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


and  subdued ;  for  this  is  holy  ground  to  eve'ry  French- 
man." 

In  connection  with  this  subject  should  be  read  Mrs. 
Browning's  beautiful  poem,  "  Crowned  and  Buried." 


"  O  wild  St.  Helen  !  very  still  she  kept  him, 
With  a  green  willow  for  all  pyramid,  — 
Which  stirred  a  little  if  the  low  wind  did, 
A  little  more,  if  pilgrims  overwept  him, 
Disparting  the  lithe  boughs  to  see  the  clay 
Which  seemed  to  cover  his  for  judgment-day. 

Nay !  not  so  long !  —  France  kept  her  old  affection 

As  deeply  as  the  sepulchre  the  corse, 

Until  dilated  by  such  love's  remorse 

To  a  new  angel  of  the  resurrection, 

She  cried,  '  Behold,  thou  England !    I  would  have 

The  dead  whereof  thou  wottest  from  that  grave.' 

And  England  answered  in  the  courtesy 
Which  ancient  foes,  turned  lovers,  may  befit,  — 
'  Take  back  thy  dead  !  and  when  thou  buriest  it, 
Throw  in  all  former  strife  'twixt  thee  and  me.' 
Amen,  mine  England  !  'tis  a  courteous  claim  — 
But  ask  a  little  room  too  .  .  .  for  thy  shame  ! " 


240.    THE  MOST  IMPORTANT  INVENTION. 

The  art  of  alphabetical  writing  is  probably  the  most 
important  invention  ever  made  by  man,  and  the  glory 
of  its  invention  belongs  to  the  Phoenicians.  The  date 
of  the  invention  is  not  definitely  known. 

The  Greeks  obtained  their  alphabet  from  the  Phoeni- 
cians. The  Romans  adopted  that  of  the  Greeks,  with 
some  few  changes ;  and  the  Roman  is  the  basis  of  all 
modern  alphabets. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Capital  letters  were  first  invented,  and  were  in  use 
for  many  centuries  before  the  invention  of  small  letters. 
The  oldest  manuscripts  now  in  use,  dating  as  far  back 
as  the  third  century,  are  written  entirely  in  capitals,  and 
without  spacing  between  the  words,  or  marks  of  punc- 
tuation. The  small  letters  were  first  introduced  about 
the  seventh  century,  but  for  some  time  afterwards  the 
capitals  were  used  much  more  than  they  are  now. 

Punctuation  (from  the  Latin  punctum,  a  point)  was 
unknown  to  the  ancients.  Aristophanes  of  Alexan- 
dria, about  two  and  a  half  centuries  before  the  Chris- 
tian era,  introduced  some  of  the  marks  now  used.  But 
it  was  not  until  about  the  year  1500  that  Aldus  Manu- 
tius,  a  learned  printer  of  Venice,  reduced  the  art  of 
punctuation  to  a  system  :  the  extreme  beauty  and  ele- 
gance of  his  editions  gave  it  general  currency. 

The  art  of  printing  was  known  to  the  Chinese  as 
early  as  the  sixth  century.  But  their  method  is  known 
as  block-printing :  each  page  is  engraved  by  itself  on  a 
block  of  wood,  and  cannot  be  taken  apart.  The  honor 
of  the  invention  of  printing  from  movable  types  has 
been  disputed  by  two  cities,  Haarlem  and  Mentz.  The 
Germans  say  that  it  was  John  Gutenberg  of  Strasburg ; 
but  the  Dutch  say  that  Laurens  Coster  of  Haarlem  was 
the  inventor — that  Gutenbersr  was  Coster's  workman. 
The  first  edition  of  the  "Speculum  Humane  Salvationis" 
was  printed  by  Coster  at  Haarlem,  about  1440.  The 
celebrated  Bible,  known  as  the  Mentz  Bible,  without 
date,  was  executed  by  Gutenberg  and  Faust  between 
the  years  1450  and  1455.  The  secret  of  the  method 
then  becoming  known,  presses  were  speedily  established 
in  all  parts  of  Europe. 

William  Caxton  introduced  the  art  of  printing  in 
England  by  setting  up  a  press  at  Westminster  about 


312 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


1471.  The  first  book  printed  was  "The  Game  of 
Chess."  Caxton  translated  or  wrote  about  sixty  differ- 
ent books,  all  of  which  went  through  his  own  press 
before  his  death  in  1491.  The  first  printing  by  steam 
was  executed  in  London  by  Bensley  &  Son  in  18 17. 


241.    COLOSSEUM  OF  ROME. 

This  building,  anciently  called  the  Flavian  Amphi- 
theatre, was  named  the  Colosseum  from  the  colossal 
statue  of  the  Emperor  Nero  which  was  near  by.  The 
statue  was  of  gilded  bronze,  one  hundred  and  seven- 
teen feet  in  height,  and  represented  the  tyrant  reful- 
gent with  rays  as  the  god  of  the  sun. 

The  Colosseum  is,  without  doubt,  the  most  celebrated 
building  in  the  world. 

It  is  in  the  form  of  an  ellipse,  measuring  eighteen 
hundred  and  forty-eight  feet  in  circumference,  and  is 
built  in  a  series  of  three  arcades,  one  above  another, 
with  an  attic  over  all,  the  total  height  being  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-five  feet.  The  seats,  which  range  up  from 
the  arena,  are  of  massive  stone,  and  could  accommodate 
eighty-seven  thousand  persons.  The  seats  were  pro- 
tected from  the  sun  by  an  awning  of  canvas  stretched 
across  the  building. 

It  was  commenced  by  the  Emperor  Vespasian  about 
the  year  A.D.  72,  and  completed  at  the  end  of  the 
fourth  year  after  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone.  The 
last  two  rows  were  finished  by  the  Emperor  Titus,  son 
of  Vespasian,  after  his  return  from  the  conquest  -of 
Jerusalem.  It  is  said  that  twelve  thousand  captive 
Jews  were  employed  in  building  the  Colosseum,  and 
that  the  external  walls  alone  cost  a  sum  equal  to  seven- 
teen million  francs. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


313 


It  was  dedicated  by  Titus  in  the  year  80,  with  games 
that  lasted  one  hundred  days,  during  which  time  nine 
thousand  animals  were  slain  to  gratify  the  thirst  for 
blood  of  the  savage  populace,  while  eighty  thousand 
spectators  crowded  from  day  to  day  the  marble  seats 
and  corridors  of  this  magnificent  structure. 

Designed  originally  for  exhibitions  of  wild  beasts, 
which  were  made  to  fight  in  the  arena,  gladiatorial  com- 
bats were  soon  introduced ;  and,  during  the  era  of  the 
persecutions  of  the  Christians,  many  of  them  suffered 
martyrdom  by  being  thrown  to  the  wild  beasts  within 
the  arena.  The  arena  could  on  occasions  be  filled  with 
water,  for  the  sake  of  naval  combats. 

There  is  an  ancient  prophecy  concerning  the  Colos- 
seum :  — 

"While  stands  the  Colosseum,  Rome  will  stand; 
When  falls  the  Colosseum,  Rome  will  fall; 
And  when  Rome  falls,  the  world ! " 


242.    BRAZEN  SERPENT  OF  MOSES. 

The  history  of  the  brazen  serpent  shows  how  even 
a  legitimate  symbol,  retained  beyond  its  time  and  after 
it  has  done  its  work,  may  become  the  object  of  idolatry. 

The  brazen  serpent  seems  to  have  been  an  object 
of  worship,  from  an  indefinite  period  to  the  reign  of 
Hezekiah. 

The  religious  zeal  of  that  king  led  him  to  destroy  it 
(see  2  Kings  xviii.  4).  "  He  removed  the  high  places, 
and  brake  the  images,  and  cut  down  the  groves,  and 
brake  in  pieces  the  brasen  serpent  that  Moses  had 
made:  for  unto  those  days  the  children  of  Israel  did 
burn  incense  to  it :  and  he  called  it  Nehushtan." 


314 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


The  Church  of  St.  Ambrose,  at  Milan,  has  boasted 
for  centuries  of  possessing  the  brazen  serpent  which 
Moses  set  up  in  the  wilderness. 

The  earlier  history  of  the  relic,  so  called,  is  a  mat- 
ter of  conjecture. 


243.   ORIGIN  OF  SURNAMES. 

Surnames  are  so  called  from  the  early  practice  of 
writing  them  over  the  Christian  names  :  instances  of 
this  custom  can  still  be  seen  in  the  court-rolls  and 
other  ancient  documents. 

Surnames,  in  modern  times,  were  first  used  in 
France,  particularly  in  Normandy,  where  they  can  be 
traced  to  the  latter  part  of  the  tenth  century.  They 
were  introduced  into  England  by  the  Normans,  after 
the  Conquest. 

The  ancient  Hebrews,  Egyptians,  Syrians,  Persians, 
etc.,  had  but  a  single  name,  which  was  generally  sig- 
nificant of  some  feature  connected  with  their  birth. 
Thus,  dying  Rachel  had  called  her  child  Benoni,  "the 
son  of  my  sorrow ; "  but  Jacob  gave  him  the  name  of 
Benjamin,  "the  son  of  my  strength."  These  simple 
names,  however,  naturally  soon  became  so  common  to 
many  owners,  as  to  fail  to  convey  individuality ;  and 
this  led  to  the  addition  of  other  designations,  now 
known  to  us  as  surnames.  The  oldest  of  these  with 
which  we  are  familiar  are  those  of  the  Bible,  where 
we  read  of  Caleb  the  son  of  Jephunneh,  and  of  Joshua 
the  son  of  Nun.  Only  about  a  thousand  surnames 
were  taken  up  by  the  most  noble  families  in  France 
and  in  England  about  the  time  of  Edward  the  Con- 
fessor.   The  lower  nobility  did  not  follow  this  example 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


315 


before  the  twelfth,  and  the  citizens  and  husbandmen 
had  no  family  names  before  the  fourteenth  century. 

English  names  have  recruits  among  them  from  almost 
every  race.  The  Hebrew  is  largely  represented  by  its 
ancient  Ben,  which  means  son.  Benjamin  has  been 
shortened  into  Benson,  Benari,  etc.  Levi  has  been 
transformed  into  Lewis,  and  Elias  into  Ellis. 

The  three  most  numerous  patronymics  of  Celtic 
origin  now  in  use  among  the  English  are  the  O,  the 
Mac,  and  the  Ap.  The  Irish  O  originally  meant  grand- 
son, the  Scotch  Mac  and  the  Welch  Ap  meaning  son. 

M.  Scheie  de  Vere,  in  his  "  Studies  in  English,"  says, 
"  The  most  fertile  of  all  is,  of  course,  the  good  old 
Anglo-Saxon  son,  and  mixed  up  with  it,  now  insepara- 
bly, the  characteristic  letter  of  the  genitive,  our  s. 
Thus  we  have  obtained  from  — 

Harry  :  Harrison,  Harris,  Herries,  and,  with  the  aid 
of  kin,  Hawkins. 

Andrew :  Anderson,  Andrews,  Henderson. 

Michael  :  Mixon  (Mike's  son),  and  Oldmixon. 

Walter  :  Watson,  Watts,  Watkins. 

David  :  Davidson,  Davies,  Dawson,  Daws. 

Hodge:  Hodgson,  Hodges,  Hutchins,  Hutchkinson. 

William  :  Williamson,  Williams,  Wilson,  Wills,  Wil- 
kin, Wilkinson,  Wilkes. 

Richard  :  Richardson,  Richards. 

Dixon  (Dick's  son),  Dickens,  Dickenson. 

Adam  :  Adamson,  Adams,  Atkin,  Atkins,  Atkinson. 

Elias  :  Ellyson,  Ellis,  Ellice,  Elliot. 

Anna  :  Anson. 

Nelly :  Nelson. 

Patty :  Patterson. 

He  also  gives  many  other  illustrations,  showing  the 
derivation  of  many  of  the  present  surnames. 


3i6 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


The  Jews  were  the  last  to  adopt  surnames,  and  it  is 
only  within  the  past  one  hundred  years  that  they  were 
compelled  by  law  to  adopt  them  in  England. 


244.    THE  EUGUBINE  TABLES. 

This  is  the  name  given  to  seven  bronze  tablets,  the 
inscriptions  on  which  present  a  remarkable  memorial 
of  the  Umbrian  language. 

The  Umbrians  are  spoken  of  as  the  aborigines  of 
Italy,  and  tradition  leads  us  to  believe  that  they  at 
one  time  occupied  the  whole  of  that  country ;  but  when 
they  come  before  us  as  a  distinct  people,  they  occupy 
only  a  small  district  west  of  Etruria,  and  north  of  the 
country  of  the  Sabines.  • 

The  Umbrians  joined  with  the  Samnites  in  the  wars 
against  Rome,  and  repelled  as  long  as  possible  the 
Roman  supremacy.  They  were  finally  conquered,  and 
were  the  faithful  allies  of  Rome  during  the  Punic  wars. 
In  the  year  90  B.C.  they  received  the  Roman  franchise, 
and  disappear  as  a  separate  people.  The  Umbrian  lan- 
guage is  the  oldest  Italian  dialect. 

These  bronze  tables  were  discovered  in  1444,  in  a 
subterranean  chamber  at  Gubbio  (the  ancient  name  of 
Eugubium),  where  they  are  still  preserved. 

The  inscriptions  consist  of  directions  concerning 
sacrificial  usages,  and  forms  of  prayer ;  and  they  seem 
to  have  been  inscribed  three  or  four  centuries  before 
the  Christian  era. 

The  most  accurate  copy  of  the  inscriptions  was  given 
by  Lepsius,  in  1841. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


317 


245.    THE  ELLORA  CAVES. 

The  Ellora  caves  are  situated  under  the  village  of 
Rojah,  in  Hindoostan. 

They  are  important  in  that  they  establish  a  Hindoo 
chronology. 

No  dates  are  contained  in  any  Hindoo  literature,  and 
the  first  clew  to  the  chronology  of  the  Hindoos  was 
obtained  from  these  caves. 

The  ancient  town  of  Ellora  is  celebrated  for  its  rock- 
cut  temples.  Some  are  cave-temples  ;  i.e.,  cut  into  the 
interior  of  the  rocks  :  others  are  vast  buildings  hewn 
out  of  the  solid  granite  of  the  hills.  The  most  beauti- 
ful of  these  is  the  Temple  of  Kailasa. 

The  cave-temples  at  Elephanta  are  rich  in  sculpture. 
Elephanta  is  an  island  six  miles  in  circuit,  in  the  har- 
bor of  Bombay.  It  takes  its  name  from  a  huge  figure 
of  an  elephant  near  its  principal  landing-place.  This 
colossal  animal  has  been  cut  out  of  a  detached  rock, 
which  is  apparently  of  basaltic  origin. 

On  this  island  are  three  temples  dug  out  of  the  liv- 
ing mountain,  the  roofs  being  supported  by  curiously 
wrought  pillars  of  various  forms  and  magnitudes,  the 
walls  being  thickly  sculptured  into  all  the  varieties  of 
Hindoo  mythology.  These  have  long  since  been  aban- 
doned by  the  priests,  but  are  still  frequented  by  per- 
sons who  go  there  to  pray.  These  temples  are  at  least 
a  thousand  years  old,  if  not  older. 

The  rock-cut  sepulchres  of  Phrygia  and  Lycia,  in 
Asia  Minor,  are  of  two  kinds.  Either  the  tomb  is  chis- 
elled out  of  a  mass  of  rock  in  the  form  of  a  sarcopha- 
gus, or  the  sepulchre  is  cut  into  the  rock,  and  a  facade 
is  chiselled  exhibiting  the  appearance  of  a  wooden 
building. 


3i8 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


Some  of  them  resemble  a  log  house  turned  into 
stone. 

Sometimes  the  whole  face  of  the  mountain  is  cov- 
ered with  these  remarkable  structures,  tomb  rising 
above  tomb.  As  regards  the  dates  of  these  monu- 
ments, we  may  expect  further  information  from  the 
decipherment  of  the  inscriptions. 

The  earliest  may  date  as  far  back  as  the  seventh 
century  B.C. 


246.    THE  IMAGE  OF  NABIS. 

The  wicked  and  cruel  Nabis  —  the  last  of  the  Spar- 
tan kings  of  Greece  —  had  an  image  set  up  in  his 
palace,  which  resembled  his  own  beautiful  wife. 

It  was  clothed  with  magnificent  garments,  such  as 
were  proper  for  a  queen  to  wear ;  but  the  breast  and 
arms  of  the  image  were  stuck  full  of  sharp  iron  spikes, 
which  were  hidden  by  the  rich  clothes. 

When  King  Nabis  wished  to  extort  money  from  any 
person,  he  invited  him  to  his  palace,  and  led  him  up 
to  be  introduced  to  the  queen.  No  sooner  was  the 
stranger  within  reach,  than  the  image,  by  means  of 
machinery,  put  out  its  arms,  and  squeezed  him  close  to 
its  breast.  The  man  might  struggle  ;  but,  with  iron 
spikes  piercing  his  flesh,  there  was  no  escape  from  the 
cruel  embrace  of  the  statue  until  his  agony  compelled 
him  to  give  the  king  as  much  money  as  he  asked. 


247.   THE  "LADIES'  PEACE." 

On  the  death  of  Louis  XII.,  in  15 15,  the  chivalrous 
duke,  Francis  of  Angouleme,  ascended  the  throne  of 
France  as  Francis  I.    He  was  at  the  same  time  a 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


3*9 


candidate  for  the  imperial  throne  of  Germany ;  and,  on 
the  election  of  Charles  V.  to  that  honorable  position, 
Francis  became  his  enemy. 

Four  wars  arose  between  these  two  monarchs,  caused 
by  the  claims  of  each  to  the  other's  possessions  in  Italy, 
Navarre,  and  the  Netherlands. 

The  second  war  between  Charles  V.  of  Germany  and 
Francis  I.  of  France  was  closed,  in  1529,  by  the  "  Ladies' 
Peace  "  of  Cambray,  so  called  because  it  was  negotiated 
by  the  aunt  of  Charles  and  the  mother  of  Francis. 

By  this  treaty,  the  King  of  France  relinquished  his 
pretensions  to  the  duchy  of  Milan,  and  paid  two  million 
crowns  for  the  ransom  of  his  sons,  who  were  held  as 
hostages  by  the  German  emperor,  retaining,  however, 
possession  of  the  dukedom  of  Burgundy. 


248.    AUTHORS'  NAMES  WHICH  SUGGEST  THEIR 
CHIEF  WORK. 

Bunyan's  "  Pilgrim's  Progress." 
Homer's  "  Iliad." 
Virgil's  "iEneid." 
Cowper's  "Task." 
Milton's  "  Paradise  Lost." 
Tasso's  "  Jerusalem  Delivered." 
Dante's  "  Inferno." 
Spenser's  "  Faerie  Queene." 
Chaucer's  "  Canterbury  Tales." 
Bryant's  "Thanatopsis." 
Gray's  "Elegy." 
Thomson's  "Seasons." 
Young's  "  Night  Thoughts." 
Cervantes'  "Don  Quixote." 
Camoens'  "Lusiad." 


320 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


De  Foe's  "  Robinson  Crusoe." 
Moore's  "Lalla  Rookh." 
Ariosto's  "  Orlando  Furioso." 


249.    ROMAN  SCULPTURE. 

This  school  of  art  first  appeared  in  Rome  148  B.C.r 
when  the  victorious  Romans  bore  off  from  Greece  her 
most  prized  works  of  sculpture  ;  but  it  never  acquired 
great  activity  until  the  reigns  of  Caesar  and  Augustus. 

How  little  the  Romans  were  prepared  to  appreciate 
Grecian  art,  is  illustrated  in  Mummius,  who  threatened 
the  laborers,  packing  the  paintings  and  sculpture  taken 
from  Corinth,  that,  if  any  were  injured  or  lost,  they 
would  have  to  make  others  like  them. 

The  taste  for  sculpture,  cultivated  by  these  collec- 
tions at  Rome,  gave  rise  to  a  new  Attic  School  in 
Rome. 

Nearly  all  that  is  finest  in  the  rich  Italian  collections 
of  antique  art  is  ascribed  to  the  Augustan  age.  The 
most  important  statues  of  this  period  are  the  Medicean 
Venus,  in  the  Tribune  of  the  Ufrizzi  at  Florence,  by 
Cleomenes  of  Athens  (after  the  Cnidian  Venus  of 
Praxiteles)  ;  the  Farnese  Hercules,  of  the  Museum  of 
Naples,  by  Glycon  ;  the  famous  Torso  of  the  Belve- 
dere at  Rome,  by  Apollonius  of  Athens. 

To  this  period  also  belong  the  Caryatides  with  which 
Diogenes  of  Athens  adorned  the  Pantheon. 


250.    THE  SACRO  CATINO. 

In  the  treasury  of  the  Cathedral  of  Genoa  (exhibited 
only  by  an  order  from  the  municipality)  is  the  Sacro 
Catino,  long  shown  to  the  people  as  the  vessel  used  by 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


321 


■our  Saviour  at  the  Last  Supper.  Another  tradition 
tells  that  it  was  originally  given  to  King  Solomon  by 
the  Queen  of  Sheba. 

When  Caesarea  was  taken  by  the  Genoese  and  Pisan 
Crusaders,  in  1101,  the  Genoese  gave  up  to  the  Pisans 
all  the  rest  of  the  booty  on  condition  that  the  Sacro 
Catino  was  left  to  them. 

Nothing  could  exceed  the  veneration  with  which  it 
was  regarded  at  Genoa. 

Twelve  knights,  called  "  Clavigeri,"  were  appointed 
as  its  special  guard,  each  being  responsible  during  one 
month  of  the  year  for  the  safety  of  the  tabernacle 
which  contained  it.  The  Sacro  Catino  was  said  to  have 
been  formed  from  a  single  emerald. 

In  1476  a  law  appeared,  punishing  with  death  any 
one  who  touched  the  Sacro  Catino. 

It  was  carried  to  Paris  in  1809;  and  when  returned, 
in  18 1 5,  it  was  broken. 


251.    THE  LAST  ASTROLOGER. 

Astrology  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  sciences  founded 
upon  superstition.  The  history  of  its  rise  and  progress 
is  nearly  the  same  as  that  of  astronomy.  Astrologers 
were  supposed  to  foretell  the  principal  events  in  a 
man's  life,  by  the  position  of  the  stars  and  the  influence 
of  the  planets  at  the  time  of  his  birth.  The  univer- 
sality of  the  belief  is  found  in  our  common  adjectives, 
by  which  we  designate  a  jovial  man,  as  born  under  the 
influence  of  Jupiter  or  Jove,  martial  from  Mars,  sat- 
urnine  from  Saturn,  and  mercurial  from  Mercury. 

Its  decline  may  be  dated  from  the  time  of  Coperni- 
cus, A.D.  1540. 


322 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


His  discovery  of  the  true  planetary  system  shook 
the  faith  of  most  people  in  astrology.  The  last  man 
of  any  note  in  England  who  claimed  to  be  an  astrol- 
oger was  William  Lily  (1602-165 1),  in  the  time  of 
Charles  I.  The  term  astrology  is  from  two  Greek 
words,  aarpov-Xoyos,  signifying  discourse  concerning  the 
stars ;  as  astronomy,  changing  the  word  Aoyos  for  vofjios, 
means  the  laws  of  the  stars. 


252.    THE  FASTI  CAPITOLINI. 

In  establishing  the  dates  of  ancient  events,  much  aid 
has  been  afforded  by  the  discovery  of  monuments  of 
great  antiquity,  bearing  chronological  inscriptions. 

Among  the  most  interesting  remains  of  this  kind 
are  the  Fasti  Capitolini,  discovered  in  the  Forum  at 
Rome  in  1547,  in  181 7,  and  18 18. 

These  records  are  in  fragments ;  but  they  contain  a 
list  of  the  Roman  magistrates  and  triumphs,  from  the 
commencement  of  the  Republic  until  the  end  of  the 
reign  of  Augustus,  A.D.  14,  and  corroborate  important 
historical  data. 

"Fas,"  in  Latin,  signifies  divine  law,  right,  or  justice. 
The  sacred  books  in  which  the  lawful  days  of  the  year 
were  marked,  were  denominated  Fasti. 

The  term  "  Fasti,"  in  an  extended  sense,  came  to 
be  used  by  the  poets  as  synonymous  with  historical 
records. 

The  term  "  Capitoline "  denotes  their  having  been 
placed  in  the  Capitol,  where  they  may  still  be  seen. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


323 


253.  PSYCHE. 

The  face  which  is  considered  the  loveliest  in  antique 
sculpture  is  that  of  Psyche  at  Naples. 

The  touching  story  of  Psyche  and  Cupid  is  an  alle- 
gory taken  from  the  "  Golden  Ass  "  of  Apuleius. 

It  forms  the  subject  of  a  celebrated  wall-painting  by 
Raphael,  in  the  Farnese  Palace  in  Rome. 

Psyche,  so  the  story  runs,  was  the  daughter  of  a 
king,  and  very  beautiful.  The  fame  of  her  beauty 
awoke  the  jealousy  of  Venus,  who  charged  her  son, 
Cupid,  to  inspire  Psyche  with  love  for  some  mortal. 

Cupid  obeyed,  so  far  as  to  visit  Psyche ;  but,  being 
himself  struck  with  her  beauty,  he  carried  her  off  to 
a  fairy  palace,  where  they  spent  many  happy  hours 
together,  with  only  this  drawback,  that  she  was  never 
to  look  with  her  mortal  eyes  upon  her  lover.  Her  curi- 
osity, however,  led  her  to  look  upon  him  as  he  lay 
asleep,  when  a  drop  of  oil  from  her  lamp  awoke  him, 
and  he  immediately  took  flight. 

She  wandered  about  from  place  to  place  seeking  him, 
subject  to  severe  persecution  at  the  hands  of  Venus, 
and  enduring  great  suffering. 

Cupid  at  last  came  to  her  rescue,  the  anger  of  Venus 
was  appeased,  and  the  marriage  of  Cupid  and  Psyche 
was  celebrated  with  great  rejoicing  in  the  presence  of 
the  higher  gods. 

This  allegory  is  thought  by  some  to  indicate  that 
castles  in  the  air  are  exquisite  until  we  look  at  them  as 
realities,  when  they  instantly  vanish,  and  leave  only 
disappointment  and  vexation  behind.  By  others  it  is 
thought  to  illustrate  the  three  stages  in  the  existence 
of  a  soul,  —  its  pre-existence  in  a  blessed  state,  its  ex- 
istence on  earth  with  its  trials  and  anguish,  and  its 
future  state  of  happy  immortality. 


324 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


254.    SABBATH,  OR  SUNDAY. 

Sabbath  (from  Shabbath,  to  rest  from  labor)  is  the 
name  applied  to  the  seventh  day  of  the  week.  Through- 
out the  world,  one  day  in  seven  is  very  generally 
observed  as  a  day  of  rest  from  toil.  This  custom  origi- 
nates from  the  fact,  that  in  six  days  God  created  all 
things,  resting  on  the  seventh  day ;  and  He  commanded 
that  each  seventh  day  should  be  a  holy  day. 

The  Sabbath  was  legally  proclaimed  about  the  year 
1491  B.C.,  on  Mount  Sinai  (Exod.  xxi.  12-18).  The 
first  public  observance  is  recorded  in  Exod.  xxxv.  1-4. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  about  its  meaning  in  the  Old 
Testament :  it  is  intended  as  a  testimony  of  faith  in 
God  as  the  Creator  of  the  world.  The  Jews  in  all  parts 
of  the  world  still  keep  the  "  Sabbath  day,"  beginning 
with  sunset  on  the  evening  of  the  sixth  day  (Friday), 
and  ending  with  sunset  on  the  seventh  day  (Saturday). 

This  is  in  accordance  with  the  Scripture  phraseology, 
"and  the  evening  and  the  morning  were  the  first  day." 

The  substitution  of  the  first  day  of  the  week  for  the 
observance  of  the  Sabbath,  or  holy  day  of  rest,  was 
made  in  the  very  early  ages  of  Christianity,  but  the 
exact  date  is  unknown ;  and  at  first  the  Christians  ob- 
served both  the  first  and  the  seventh  days. 

The  argument  for  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath  on 
the  first  day  of  the  week  is,  that  there  is  no  proof  that 
the  Jewish  count  actually  began  on  the  seventh  day 
from  the  creation ;  that  as  the  Jews  made  it  a  memorial 
of  the  creation,  and  their  liberation  from  bondage,  so 
Christians  may  well  observe  it  weekly  upon  the  first 
day,  when  the  Saviour  rose  from  the  dead,  delivering 
them  from  the  bondage  of  sin  and  eternal  death. 

Constantine  the  Great  issued  an  edict,  in  A.D.  321, 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


325 


proclaiming  Sunday  as  a  legal  day  of  rest,  and  holy  unto 
the  Lord,  which  edict  was  subsequently  incorporated 
in  the  civil  law  of  the  empire,  and  ultimately  adopted 
by  all  the  nations  which  arose  from  the  ruins  of  the 
Roman  Empire. 


255.    OUR  FLAG  VICTORIOUS  IN  THE  OLD  WORLD. 

The  only  town  in  the  Old  World  ever  captured  by 
the  United  States  is  the  town  of  Derne,  in  Tripoli, 
on  the  northern  coast  of  Africa. 

The  inhabitants  were  chiefly  Moors,  Turks,  and 
Arabs,  of  the  Mohammedan  religion.  The  ports  of  the 
Barbary  States  —  Algiers,  Morocco^  Tunis,  and  Tripoli 
—  were  infested  with  pirates,  who  darted  out  upon  ves- 
sels which  sailed  up  and  down  the  Mediterranean  Sea, 
and,  after  plundering  them,  either  murdered  the  crew, 
or  sold  them  into  slavery.  These  pirates  became  the 
terror  of  Europe ;  and  some  mercantile  countries  had  to 
pay  a  yearly  tribute,  in  order  to  secure  safety  for  their 
vessels. 

England  was  the  only  nation  feared  by  these  pirates ; 
and,  so  long  as  American  vessels  sailed  under  the  Eng- 
lish flag,  they  were  reasonably  secure  :  but,  when  the 
United  States  became  a  separate  nation,  the  pirates 
demanded  tribute. 

For  a  time  the  government  paid  the  tribute,  as  the 
easiest  way  to  secure  her  commerce ;  but  in  1801  the 
Dey  of  Tripoli  grew  so  bold  as  to  declare  war  against 
the  United  States,  being  dissatisfied  with  the  payments 
of  the  tribute. 

For  four  years  a  series  of  fights  took  place,  until,  in 
1804,  the  American  navy  having  been  increased  in  the 
Mediterranean  Sea,  a  vigorous  attack  was  made  upon 


326 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


the  pirates.  Gen.  Eaton  succeeded  in  taking  Derne, 
one  of  their  ports,  and  raised  the  American  flag  over  it : 
this  was  the  first  and  the  last  time  our  flag  was  unfurled 
in  victory  over  a  foreign  town.  A  treaty  of  peace  was 
made,  prisoners  were  exchanged,  and  piracy  for  a  time 
came  to  an  end. 


256.    THE  SACRED  BOOKS  OF  THE  HINDOOS. 

The  Hindoos  have  sacred  books  of  great  antiquity, 
and  a  literature  extending  back  twenty  or  thirty  centu- 
ries, but  no  history,  no  chronology,  no  annals. 

The  oldest  of  their  sacred  books,  the  Vedas  (knowl- 
edge or  science),  contain  the  revelation  of  Brahma,  and. 
were  preserved  by  tradition  until  collected  by  Vyasa 
(compiler) ;  and  they  represent  an  epoch,  probably  the 
fifteenth  century  B.C. 

The  Vedas  are  three  in  number :  first,  the  Rig- Veda, 
containing  hymns  and  mystic  prayers ;  second,  the  Yajur- 
Veda,  containing  the  religious  rites ;  third,  the  Sama- 
Veda,  with  prayers  in  the  form  of  songs.  The  Vedas 
were  written  in  Sanscrit,  and  were  first  translated  into 
English  by  Sir  William  Jones.  Few  Hindoos  now 
read  the  Vedas.  The  Puranas  and  the  two  great  epics 
constitute  their  sacred  books.  The  Ramayana  and  the 
Mahabharata  are  the  most  colossal  epic  poems  to  be 
found  in  the  literature  of  the  world. 

According  to  Lassen,  the  period  of  the  two  great 
epics  follows  the  period  of  the  Vedas.  The  whole  life 
of  ancient  India  is  found  in  them. 

The  Ramayana  contains  about  fifty  thousand  lines, 
and  is  held  in  great  veneration  by  the  Hindoos. 

It  describes  the  youth  of  Rama,  who  is  an  incarna- 
tion of  their  god  Vishnu ;  his  banishment  and  residence 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


327 


in  Central  India.  It  is  probably  founded  on  some  real 
war  between  the  early  Aryan  invaders  of  Hindostan 
and  the  indigenous  inhabitants. 

The  Mahabharata,  supposed  to  be  of  later  date,  con- 
sists of  about  two  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  lines, 
divided  into  eighteen  books. 

From  these  epics,  there  appear  to  have  been  two 
dynasties  in  ancient  India,  — the  solar  and  the  lunar. 

Rama  belonged  to  the  first,  and  Bharata  to  the  second. 

Five  brothers,  the  descendants  of  Bharata,  are  the 
heroes  of  the  Mahabharata ;  and  episodes  in  the  lives  of 
these  heroes  occupy  three-fourths  of  the  poem. 

The  Puranas  are  derived  from  the  same  religious 
system  as  the  two  epics. 

They  relate  more  fully  their  mythological  legends. 
The  gods,  Siva  and  Vishnu,  are  almost  the  sole  objects 
of  worship  in  the  Puranas. 

These  Puranas,  eighteen  in  number,  are  in  the  form 
of  dialogue,  and  contain  one  million  six  hundred  thou- 
sand lines. 

Mr.  Talboys  Wheeler  has  recently  incorporated  the 
epics  of  the  Hindoos  (much  abridged)  in  his  "  History 
of  India." 


257.    CATHEDRAL  OF  ST.  ISAAC. 

By  far  the  most  important  church  in  St.  Petersburg 
is  the  great  Cathedral  of  St.  Isaac,  built  between  the 
years  1819  and  1858;  and  it  is  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  expensive  buildings  in  modern  Europe. 

The  church  is  a  rectangle  with  four  porticos,  —  two 
with  eight,  and  two  with  sixteen,  columns  each,  which 
are  of  rose-colored  granite,  and,  after  Pompey's  Pillar 
and  the  column  of  Alexander  in  St.  Petersburg,  are 


328 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


the  largest  single  stones  which  the  hand  of  man  has 
cut,  rounded,  and  polished. 

Each  column  is  fifty-six  feet  high,  and  six  and  one* 
half  feet  in  diameter. 

The  dome  rests  upon  a  peristyle  of  twenty-four  simi- 
lar columns,  but  only  forty-two  feet  in  height. 

The  great  gilt  dome  swells  upward,  surmounted  by 
an  octagonal  lantern,  also  gilt,  and  above  it  a  colossal 
cross. 

At  various  points  throughout  the  cathedral  are  groups 
or  single  figures  of  angels  and  of  the  apostles,  and  the 
superb  bronze  doors  are  ornamented  with  bass-reliefs. 

Within,  the  building  is  magnificent  with  paintings, 
and  with  marbles  of  various  tints. 

The  foundation  alone  of  this  magnificent  structure 
cost  four  millions  of  dollars. 


258.    AEROLITES,  OR  METEORIC  STONES. 

Meteoric  stones,  in  single  masses  and  in  showers, 
have  fallen  from  the  atmosphere  at  various  periods,  in 
many  parts  of  the  world.  The  largest  of  these  stones 
at  present  known  is  in  the  province  of  Tucuman,  South 
America,  and  weighs  thirty  thousand  pounds. 

Aerolites  have  been  proven  to  be  atmospheric,  both 
by  eye-witnesses,  by  the  similarity  of  their  composi- 
tion in  all  cases,  and  also  by  the  fact,  that,  though  the 
materials  mingled  are  well  known,  they  are  never 
united  in  the  same  manner  as  in  the  productions  of 
our  globe,  and  nothing  like  them  has  been  ejected  from 
terrestrial  volcanoes ;  and,  further,  by  the  fact  that 
their  situation  is  generally  isolated,  and  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  earth.  There  have  been  many  theories 
advanced  as  to  their  origin. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


329 


La  Place  traces  them  to  volcanic  origin.  The  respect 
due  to  his  opinions  no  one  will  dispute ;  but  Professor 
Olmsted,  the  American  astronomer,  has  offered  the 
most  satisfactory  explanation.  He  has  shown  that 
countless  bodies  of  small  dimensions  cluster  together 
in  vast  rings,  and  revolve,  as  do  the  planets,  around  the 
sun. 

These  bodies  become  visible  when  the  orbit  of  the 
earth  approaches  their  orbit ;  and,  when  they  come 
within  the  atmosphere  of  the  earth,  they  are  ignited, 
and  fall  upon  the  earth  as  meteoric  stones.  A  remark- 
able aerolite  fell  at  yEgospotami,  in  467  B.C.,  which 
was,  according  to  Pliny,  to  be  seen  in  his  day,  "as 
large  as  a  wagon."  One  fell  in  California,  in  August, 
1873,  which  penetrated  the  earth  to  a  depth  of  eight 
feet,  and  when  dug  up  was  still  so  hot  that  it  could  not 
be  handled. 


259.    THE  BONES  OF  COLUMBUS. 

Christopher  Columbus,  the  discoverer  of  America, 
was  born  in  Genoa,  Italy,  about  the  year  1435  A.D., 
and  died  at  Valladolid,  Spain,  in  profound  obscurity, 
May  20,  1506. 

His  body  was  deposited  in  a  vault  in  the  Convent 
Church  of  the  Franciscans,  where  it  remained  for  some 
time ;  but  afterwards,  according  to  a  request  made  in 
his  will,  his  remains  were  removed  to  the  city  of  Santo 
Domingo  in  his  "beloved  Hispaniola,"  and  placed  in  a 
small,  enclosed  vault  in  the  cathedral. 

Just  to  the  right  of  this  vault  were  deposited  the 
remains  of  Don  Diego,  the  son  of  Columbus,  who  died 
at  Montalban,  in  1526;  and  long  afterwards  the  bones 
of  Don  Luis,  the  grandson  of  Columbus,  were  brought 


330 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


to  the  same  place.  Thus  there  were  three  crypts  in 
the  Cathedral  of  Santo  Domingo,  — one  containing  the 
remains  of  Christopher  Columbus,  one  those  of  Diego, 
and  the  third  those  of  Luis. 

With  regard  to  all  these  remains,  the  obscurity  seems 
to  have  been  profound  until  the  year  1783.  It  was 
known  to  students  of  local  history,  that  the  remains  of 
Christopher  Columbus  were  somewhere  in  the  building  ; 
but  even  the  traditions  as  to  his  son  and  grandson  were 
lost,  or  at  least  very  vague.  In  that  year,  while  mak- 
ing some  slight  repairs  and  alterations,  a  crypt  was 
unexpectedly  found,  and  in  it  a  small  metallic  case, 
without  any  inscription,  which  was  at  once  accepted  as 
containing  the  remains  of  Christopher  Columbus. 

In  the  year  1795  the  war  between  France  and  Spain 
was  brought  to  a  close,  and  the  Spaniards  were  com- 
pelled to  cede  to  the  French  all  the  Spanish  part  of 
the  island  of  Santo  Domingo ;  but  by  the  courtesy  of 
the  French  officials  they  were  allowed  to  convey  the 
supposed  remains  of  Columbus  to  Havana,  and  the 
exhumation  was  solemnly  made  on  the  20th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1795. 

On  the  14th  of  May,  1877,  the  crypt  containing  the 
remains  of  Don  Luis  was  accidentally  discovered. 
This  discovery  caused  much  excitement,  and  revived 
an  old  tradition,  that  the  bones  removed  in  1795  were 
not  those  of  Christopher  Columbus.  The  authorities 
now  decided  to  make  a  careful  investigation,  which 
should  verify,  or  else  forever  set  at  rest,  the  tradition. 
Their  efforts  were  crowned  with  success.  On  the  gos- 
pel side  of  the  chapel  (the  left  facing  the  altar)  they 
found  two  crypts,  the  first  one  empty,  because  the  re- 
mains had  been  carried  away  in  1795  :  the  second  one 
contained  a  small  metallic  case,  with  inscriptions  in 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


331 


Spanish  on  both  the  outside  and  inside  of  the  cover, — 
"  Most  illustrious  and  renowned  personage,  Don  Cris- 
toval  Colon,"  and  "  Discoverer  of  America,  First  Ad- 
miral." The  chest  was  opened,  only  to  increase  the 
certainty :  on  the  interior  of  the  cover  were  found  the 
words,  "  Most  illustrious  and  renowned  personage,  Don 
Cristoval  Colon." 

On  the  two  sides,  and  on  the  front,  were  the  letters 
C.  C,  A.,  meaning  Christopher  Columbus,  Admiral. 
Upon  careful  examination  of  the  contents,  there  were 
found  bones  and  bone-dust,  very  few  and  small,  with  a 
small  bit  of  the  skull,  a  leaden  ball,  and  a  small  silver 
plate  inscribed  "  U.  Cristoval  Colon." 

Dr.  Coppee  says  in  his  article  on  this  subject  in 
Stoddart's  "Review,"  and  from  which  this  is  mainly 
taken, — 

"  Every  one  who  was  present  at  once  accepted  this  ocular  proof, 
that  what  was  left  of  the  body  of  the  great  discoverer  had  not 
been  taken  away  to  Havana,  but  was  really  there  before  his  eyes, 
with  an  indubitable  record  of  identification.  It  may  be  doubted 
whether  in  the  wildest  scenes  of  internecine  strife  and  blood  in 
all  its  history,  Santo  Domingo  had  ever  witnessed  such  popular 
excitement.  Time  had  brought  them  the  knowledge  of  a  great 
treasure.  Te  Deums  were  sung.  The  Legislature  at  once  made 
an  appropriation  from  'the  extraordinary  funds'  of  ten  thousand 
dollars  as  a  contribution  to  a  fitting  monument.  The  archbishop, 
Roque  Cocchin,  kept  his  secretaries  busy  in  sending  the  news  of 
the  discovery  everywhere.  .  .  . 

"  When  the  news  reached  the  Spanish  capital,  it  struck  every- 
body, court  and  people  alike,  with  painful  surprise.  The  honor 
of  Spain  was  supposed  to  be  impugned.  It  was  not  only  humili- 
ating in  itself,  but  it  argued  great  carelessness  in  the  Spanish  offi- 
cials, at  the  time  of  the  translation,  that  for  more  than  seventy 
years  they  should  have  fixed  upon  Spain  the  delusion  that  the 
precious  remains  of  the  great  discoverer  were  resting  in  the 
Cathedral  of  Havana,  and  that  generations  of  reverential  visitors 


332 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


to  'the  pilgrim  shrine'  had  been  wasting  their  sentiment  on  a 
mistaken  object. 

"  The  letter  of  the  archbishop,  with  the  accompanying  proofs, 
was  placed,  by  order  of  the  king,  in  the  hands  of  the  most  appro- 
priate body,  La  real  Academia  de  la  Historia.  A  special  commit- 
tee was  appointed  to  take  the  matter  in  hand.  Of  course  they 
reported  adversely,  charging  the  San  Domingians  with  schemes 
and  fraud,  and  absurd  credulity. 

"The  controversy  that  ensued  brought  out  a  work  of  three 
hundred  and  thirty-seven  pages  from  the  hand  of  the  archbishop. 
In  this  valuable  work  he  goes  over  much  historical  matter  not 
before  generally  known.  An  unprejudiced  perusal  dissipates  every 
shadow  of  art  or  deception.  Few  things  are  so  clearly  proven,  as 
that  the  remains  of  the  great  discoverer  are  still  preserved  in  the 
Cathedral  Church  of  Santo  Domingo,  the  spot  which  he  selected 
as  his  burial-place.  It  has  been  proposed  to  erect  a  lofty  column 
over  the  sacred  dust,  which  shall  tell  the  passing  ships  of  every 
nation  of  'the  gratitude  of  mankind  to  Christopher  Columbus,'  — 
*  A  Cristoval  Colon  la  humanidad  agradecida.'  " 


260.    VIRGIL  AND  THE  yENEID.  ' 

Publius  Vergilius  (or  Virgilius)  Maro  was  born  at 
Andes,  Oct.  15,  70  B.C. 

His  father  was  a  farmer,  but  spared  no  pains  in  the 
education  of  his  son,  sending  him  to  school  at  Cremona, 
Milan,  and  finally,  when  he  was  sixteen  years  old,  to 
Naples,  where  he  was  instructed  by  the  poet  and  phi- 
losopher, Parthenius. 

After  spending  several  years  in  Naples,  Virgil  went 
to  Rome  (47  B.C.) :  but  his  love  of  country  life  and  his 
feeble  health  led  him  back  to  Andes  ;  there,  in  the  year 
42  B.C.,  he  began  to  write  his  "Bucolics,"  to  which  the 
name  of  "  Eclogues "  was  afterwards  given.  These 
short  pastorals,  ten  in  number,  were  all  written  before 
the  year  37  B.C.  ;  and  they  at  once  attracted  attention, 
and  gained  for  him  friends  and  fame.    The  most  fin- 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


333 


ished  work  of  Virgil,  his  "  Georgica,"  is  an  agricultural 
poem:  its  object  was  "to  recommend  the  principles 
of  the  ancient  Romans,  their  love  of  home,  of  labor,  of 
piety,  and  order ;  to  magnify  their  domestic  happiness 
and  greatness  ;  to  make  men  proud  of  their  country  on 
better  grounds  than  the  mere  glory  of  its  arms,  and 
extent  of  its  conquests.  .  .  .  To  comprehend  the  moral 
grandeur  of  the  'Georgics,'  in  point  of  style  the  most 
perfect  piece  of  Roman  literature,  we  must  regard  it  as 
the  glorification  of  Labor." 

But  the  poem  with  which  his  name  is  coupled  for  all 
time  is  his  epic  poem,  the  iEneid.  This  was  written 
during  the  last  eleven  years  of  his  life  :  he  proposed  to 
devote  three  years  more  to  polishing  and  completing 
the  poem,  but  died  without  having  given  it  his  final 
touches.  It  is  said,  that  for  this  reason  he  expressed  a 
wish  when  on  his  death-bed,  to  burn  the  poem  ;  but  his 
friends  would  not  gratify  him,  and  it  was  published 
without  alteration  by  Varius  and  Plotius. 

In  the  year  19  (B.C.)  Virgil  was  seized  with  a  sudden 
illness,  and  died  in  a  few  days  at  Brundusium,  Sept.  22, 
in  his  fifty-first  year. 

In  accordance  with  his  request,  his  body  was  con- 
veyed to  Naples  for  burial.  His  tomb,  on  the  hill  of 
Posilipo,  is  still  visited  by  tourists  from  every  land. 

The  ^Eneid  is  an  epic  poem  in  twelve  books,  and 
treats  of  the  following  events  :  — 

When  Troy  was  taken  by  the  Greeks,  vEneas,  carry 
ing  his  aged  father  Anchises  on  his  back,  and  leading 
his  wife  and  son,  escaped  from  the  burning  city,  intend- 
ing to  go  to  Italy,  the  original  birthplace  of  his  family. 

The  wife  was  lost,  and  the  old  father  died ;  but,  after 
numerous  adventures  by  sea  and  land,  ^Eneas  and  his 
son  Ascanius  arrived  in  Italy.    Latinus,  the  king,  re- 


334 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


ceived  him  kindly,  and  soon  promised  him  his  daughter 
Lavinia  in  marriage.  But  she  had  already  been  be- 
trothed by  her  mother  to  Turnus  ;  and  the  king,  finding 
no  other  way  out  of  his  dilemma,  proposed  that  the 
rivals  should  settle  the  dispute  by  combat.  Turnus 
was  slain,  tineas  married  Lavinia,  and  succeeded  his 
father-in-law  upon  the  throne. 

Dr.  Brewer,  in  "The  Reader's  Handbook,"  gives  the 
following  outline  of  the  /Eneid  :  — 

"Book  I.  —  The  escape  from  Troy.  /Eneas  and  his  son, 
driven  by  a  tempest  on  the  shores  of  Carthage,  are  hospitably 
entertained  by  Queen  Dido. 

"Book  II.  —  /Eneas  tells  Dido  the  tale  of  the  wooden  horse, 
the  burning  of  Troy,  and  his  flight  with  his  father,  wife,  and  son. 
The  wife  was  lost  and  died. 

"Book  III.  —  The  narrative  continued.  The  perils  he  met 
with  on  the  way,  and  the  death  of  his  father. 

"  Book  IV.  —  Dido  falls  in  love  with  /Eneas,  but  he  steals  away 
from  Carthage ;  and  Dido,  on  a  funeral  pyre,  puts  an  end  to  her 
life. 

"  Book  V.  —  ^neas  reaches  Sicily,  and  celebrates  there  the 
games  in  honor  of  Anchises.  This  book  corresponds  to  the  Iliad, 
XXIII. 

"Book  VI.  —  /Eneas  visits  the  infernal  regions.  This  book 
corresponds  to  Odyssey,  XI. 

"Book  VII.  —  Latinus,  King  of  Italy,  entertains  /Eneas,  and 
promises  to  him  Lavinia  (his  daughter)  in  marriage ;  but  Prince 
Turnus  had  been  already  betrothed  to  her  by  the  mother,  and 
raises  an  army  to  resist  /Eneas. 

"Book  VIII.  —  Preparations  on  both  sides  for  a  general  war. 

"Book  IX.  —  Turnus,  during  the  absence  of  /Eneas,  fires  the 
ships,  and  assaults  the  camps.  The  episode  of  Nisus  and 
Euryalus. 

"Book  X.  —  The  war  between  Turnus  and  /Eneas.  Episode 
of  Mezentius  and  Lausus. 

"Book  XL  — The  battle  continued. 

"  Book  XII.  —  Turnus  challenges  /Eneas  to  single  combat,  and 
is  killed." 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


335 


261.    POMPEY'S  PILLAR. 

This  celebrated  monumental  pillar  is  situated  about 
eighteen  hundred  feet  from  the  southern  gate  of  Alex- 
andria, Egypt.  It  is  composed  of  red  granite,  with  a 
Corinthian  capital  nine  feet  high.  The  shaft  and  upper 
member  of  the  base  are  of  one  piece,  ninety  feet  long, 
and  nine  in  diameter :  the  base  is  about  fifteen  feet 
square.  The  shaft,  sixty  feet  in  circumference,  rests 
upon  two  layers  bound  together  with  lead.  The  whole 
column  is  one  hundred  and  fourteen  feet  high.  It  is 
in  a  good  state  of  preservation,  with  the  exception  of 
one  of  the  volutes  of  the  column,  which  was  prema- 
turely brought  down  some  years  ago  by  a  frolic  of  some 
English  seamen :  the  account  is  thus  given  by  Mr. 
Irwin  :  — 

"  These  jolly  sons  of  Neptune  had  been  pushing  about  the  can 
on  board  one  of  the  ships  in  the  harbor,  until  a  strange  freak  en- 
tered into  one  of  their  brains.  The  eccentricity  of  the  thought 
occasioned  it  immediately  to  be  adopted,  and  its  apparent  impossi- 
bility was  but  a  spur  for  the  putting  it  into  execution.  The  boat 
was  ordered;  and,  with  proper  implements  for  the  attempt,  these 
enterprising  heroes  pushed  ashore,  to  drink  a  bowl  of  punch  on 
the  top  of  Pompey's  Pillar!  At  the  spot  they  arrived;  and  many 
contrivances  were  proposed,  to  accomplish  the  desired  point.  But 
their  labor  was  vain  ;  and  they  began  to  despair  of  success,  when 
the  genius  who  struck  out  the  frolic  happily  suggested  the  means 
of  performing  it.  A  man  was  despatched  to  the  city  for  a  paper 
kite  ;  and  the  inhabitants,  by  this  time  apprised  of  what  was  goin^ 
forward,  flocked  in  crowds  to  be  witnesses  of  the  address  and 
boldness  of  the  English.  The  governor  of  Alexandria  was  told 
that  these  seamen  were  about  to  pull  down  Pompey's  Pillar.  But 
whether  he  gave  them  credit  for  their  respect  to  the  Roman  war- 
rior or  to  the  Turkish  Government,  he  left  them  to  themselves, 
and  politely  answered  that  the  English  were  too  great  patriots  to 
injure  the  remains  of  Pompey.  He  knew  little,  however,  of  the 
disposition  of  the  people  who  were  engaged  in  this  undertaking. 


33^ 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


"  Had  the  Turkish  empire  risen  in  opposition,  it  would  not  at  that- 
moment  have  deterred  them.  The  kite  was  brought,  and  flown 
directly  over  the  pillar,  so  that,  when  it  fell  on  the  other  side,  the 
string  lodged  upon  the  capital.  The  chief  obstacle  was  now  over- 
come. A  two-inch  rope  was  tied  to  one  end  of  the  string,  and 
drawn  over  the  pillar  by  the  end  to  which  the  kite  was  affixed. 
By  this  rope,  one  of  the  seamen  ascended  to  the  top  ;  and  in  less 
than  an  hour  a  kind  of  shroud  was  constructed,  by  which  the 
whole  company  went  up,  and  drank  their  punch,  amidst  the  shouts 
of  the  astonished  multitude.  To  the  eye  below,  the  capital  of  the 
pillar  does  not  appear  capable  of  holding  more  than  one  man  upon 
it  ;  but  our  seamen  found  it  could  contain  no  less  than  eight  per- 
sons very  conveniently.  It  is  astonishing  that  no  accident  befell 
these  madcaps  in  a  situation  so  elevated  that  it  would  have  turned 
a  landsman  giddy  in  his  sober  senses.  The  only  detriment  which 
the  pillar  received  was  the  loss  of  the  volute,  before  mentioned, 
which  came  down  with  a  thundering  sound,  and  was  carried  to 
England  by  one  of  the  captains,  as  a  present  to  a  lady  who  had 
commissioned  him  to  procure  her  a  piece  of  it.  The  discovery 
which  they  made  amply  compensated  for  this  mischief;  as  without 
their  evidence  the  world  would  not  have  known  at  this  hour  that 
there  was  originally  a  statue  on  this  pillar,  one  foot  and  ankle  of 
which  are  still  remaining.  The  statue  must  have  been  of  a  gigan- 
tic size,  to  have  appeared  of  a  man's  proportion  at  so  great  a  height. 
There  are  circumstances  in  this  story  which  might  give  it  the  air 
of  fiction,  were  it  not  proved  beyond  all  doubt.  Besides  the  testi- 
monies of  many  eye-witnesses,  the  adventurers  themselves  have 
left  a  token  of  the  fact,  by  the  initials  of  their  names,  which  are 
very  legibly  painted  in  black  just  beneath  the  capital." 

The  name  popularly  applied  to  this  column  is  an 
erroneous  appellation  given  by  ancient  travellers,  who 
confess  they  do  not  know  whence  it  is  derived,  or  why 
still  retained.  The  inscription  on  the  base  shows  that 
it  was  erected  by  Publius,  Prefect  of  Egypt,  in  honor  of 
the  Emperor  Diocletian,  who  is  styled  upon  it  'The 
Invincible  ; '  and  it  is  supposed  to  record  the  conquest 
of  the  city  of  Alexandria  by  Diocletian,  296  A.D. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


337 


262.    A  RIVER  OF  INK, 

Among  the  wonders  of  nature  in  Algeria,  there  is  a 
remarkable  phenomenon  of  a  river  of  genuine  ink. 

It  is  formed  by  the  junction  of  two  streams,  one 
flowing  from  a  region  of  ferruginous  soil,  the  other 
draining  a  peat  swamp. 

The  waters  of  the  first  are,  of  course,  strongly  im- 
pregnated with  iron ;  those  of  the  latter  with  gallic 
acid. 

On  meeting,  the  acid  of  one  stream  combines  with 
the  iron  of  the  other,  and  a  true  ink  is  the  result.  In 
the  older  days  of  a  mythology  of  nature,  it  would  not 
have  required  a  very  vivid  fancy  to  seat  a  Titan  upon 
the  bank,  with  a  tall  Egyptian  reed  for  his  pen,  inditing 
upon  gigantic  papyrus  the  true  cosmogony  of  things 
visible,  and  the  fancied  theogony  of  things  unseen. 

Many  curious  facts  and  superstitions  could  be  gath- 
ered in  connection  with  rivers,  —  the  Nile,  so  mysteri- 
ously sacred  to  the  Egyptians  ;  the  Tiber,  so  dear  and 
so  sacred  to  the  Romans  ;  the  Rubicon  ;  the  Pactolus, 
a  river  of  Lydia,  in  which  Midas  is  said  to  have  washed 
away  from  himself  the  power  of  turning  into  gold  what- 
ever he  touched,  and  from  which  circumstance  it  ever 
after  rolled  golden  sands  ;  the  Ganges,  still  so  sacred 
to  the  Hindoos,  that,  in  British  courts  of  justice  in  Hin- 
dostan,  the  water  is  used  for  swearing  Hindoos,  as  the 
Koran  is  for  the  Mohammedans,  and  the  Bible  for 
Christians.  The  city  of  Benares,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Ganges,  is  to  the  Hindoos  the  holiest  place  on  earth. 
Hundreds  of  thousands  of  pilgrims  go  there  every  year 
to  bathe  in  the  river,  and  thus,  as  they  think,  to  wash 
away  their  sins.  The  month  of  June  is  devoted  to  the 
bath  of  their  idol,  Juggernaut. 


338 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


But,  apart  from  superstition,  the  Ganges  is  a  wonder- 
ful river.  Its  source  is  nearly  two  miles  above  the  level 
of  the  sea,  in  the  Himalaya  Mountains ;  the  water  flow- 
ing out  of  a  cave  of  ice  at  the  bottom  of  a  glacier. 
Many  other  rivers  flow  into  it ;  and  it  soon  becomes  a 
mile  wide,  and  very  rapid :  its  length  is  fifteen  hundred 
and  forty  miles.  At  a  distance  of  five  hundred  miles 
from  the  sea,  the  channel  is  thirty  feet  deep.  About 
two  hundred  miles  from  the  sea,  the  delta  of  the 
Ganges  commences  by  the  separation  of  the  river  into 
parts.  Between  the  different  mouths  are  numerous 
islands,  called  Sunderbunds,  which  are  covered  with 
profuse  and  rank  vegetation  called  jungle,  and  are 
haunted  by  crocodiles  and  tigers.  The  air  at  this  sec- 
tion is  so  unhealthy  that  no  one  can  live  there,  yet 
the  water  of  the  Ganges  is  esteemed  for  its  medicinal 
virtues. 

Then,  there  is  the  river  Jordan,  almost  as  sacred  to 
Christians  as  the  Ganges  is  to  the  Hindoos,  on  account 
of  the  baptism  of  our  Lord  (St.  Matthew  iii.  13-17). 

The  Jordan  is  emphatically  the-  river  of  Palestine, 
as  the  Nile  is  the  river  of  Egypt.  It  has  its  phenomena 
in  its  annual  rise,  tortuous  course,  and  rapid  descent. 

It  has  been  twice  fully  explored.  It  rises  at  the  foot 
of  a  high  cliff  near  the  entrance  of  a  deep  cavern;  but 
its  direct  course  is  after  it  leaves  the  Lake  of  Tiberias, 
until  it  empties  into  the  Dead  Sea.  This  is  but  a  dis- 
tance of  sixty  miles ;  yet  so  winding  is  it,  that  the 
actual  length  of  the  river  is  two  hundred  miles. 

The  Jordan,  except  near  its  source,  is  below  the  level 
of  the  ocean ;  and  the  Dead  Sea,  where  it  empties,  is 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  below  the  surface  of  the  Mediterra- 
nean. 

The  rapid  descent  of  the  Jordan  has  been  explained 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


339 


by  the  explorations  of  Lieutenants  Molyneux  and 
Lynch,  who  found  no  less  than  twenty-seven  rapids 
in  its  course  ;  and  also,  that  from  Lake  Tiberias  to  the 
Dead  Sea,  it  has  a  fall  of  ten  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 

It  rushes  over  roaring  rapids,  between  high  banks 
covered  with  tamarisks  and  willows,  so  that  there  are 
few  places  of  access  to  its  waters. 

There  were  anciently  four  fords  of  the  Jordan.  At 
one  of  these,  on  Monday  before  Easter,  the  pilgrims 
of  the  Greek  Church,  often  eight  thousand  in  number, 
who  have  come  down  from  Jerusalem  escorted  by  the 
pacha  and  a  guard  of  Turkish  soldiers,  perform  the 
well-known  ceremony  of  bathing  in  the  sacred  stream. 
A  short  distance  below  this  is  the  point  where  the  river 
loses  itself  in  the  lifeless  waters  of  the  Dead  Sea. 


263.    EFFECT  OF  THE  FRANCO-PRUSSIAN  WAR. 

This  war  re-united  Alsace  and  Lorraine  to  Germany, 
and  secured  the  sum  of  two  hundred  million  pounds  as 
war  indemnity  ;  and  the  German  people,  hitherto  much 
divided  in  sympathy,  were  drawn  closely  together,  so 
that,  at  the  end  of  the  war,  the  twenty-five  sovereign 
states  of  Germany  united  under  a  restored  empire, 
King  William  of  Prussia  being  chosen  Emperor  of 
Germany. 

The  effect  upon  France  was  just  the  reverse.  After 
the  defeat  of  the  French  army,  the  Emperor  Napoleon 
III.  was  deposed  by  a  Parisian  mob,  and  France  became 
a  Republic.  The  German  forces  gained  possession  of  a 
large  part  of  France,  and  imposed  a  heavy  fine  upon 
the  country. 

After  being  held  prisoner  for  six  months  at  Wilhelms- 


34Q 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


hohe,  near  Cassel,  Napoleon  retired  to  Chiselhurst,  in 
Kent,  England,  where  he  died,  Jan.  9,  1873. 

The  Franco-Prussian  war  was  declared  by  France  in 
July,  1870,  on  the  ground  that  the  King  of  Prussia  re- 
fused to  prohibit  his  relative,  Prince  Leopold,  from 
becoming  a  candidate  for  the  vacant  throne  of  Spain. 


264.    THE  PILGRIM'S  PROGRESS. 

John  Bunyan,  the  author  of  "  The  Pilgrim's  Prog- 
ress," was  born  at  Elstow,  near  Bedford,  England,  in 
1628. 

In  1655  he  became  a  Baptist  minister,  and  preached 
with  great  success,  until,  in  the  restoration  of  Charles 
II.,  an  Act  against  conventicles  was  passed,  which  put 
an  end  to  his  labors  :  he  was  tried,  convicted,  and  sen- 
tenced to  perpetual  banishment,  but  was  shut  up  in 
Bedford  jail,  where  he  passed  the  next  twelve  years  of 
his  life.  He  employed  himself  while  there  in  making 
tagged  laces  for  the  support  of  his  family,  and  in  writ- 
ing "The  Pilgrim's  Progress"  and  other  books.  His 
library  consisted  of  a  Bible,  and  Fox's  "Martyrs." 

He  was  several  times  offered  his  liberty,  on  the  con- 
dition that  he  should  give  up  preaching ;  but  his  brave 
answer  was  always,  "  If  you  let  me  out  to-day,  I'll 
preach  again  to-morrow."  He  was  finally  released, 
through  the  kindly  interposition  of  Dr.  Barlow  of  Lin- 
coln, in  1671.  After  the  declaration  of  James  II.  in 
favor  of  liberty  of  conscience,  Bunyan  again  took  charge 
of  a  church  in  Bedford,  and  preached  to  large  congre- 
gations for  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  died,  1688,  in  Lon- 
don, where  he  always  went  once  a  year  to  preach,  and 
was  buried  in  Bunhill  Fields,  called  by  Southey  "  The 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


341 


Campo  Santo  of  the  Dissenters."  A  monument,  with 
a  recumbent  statue  of  Bunyan,  was  erected  over  his 
grave  in  1862. 

"  The  Pilgrim's  Progress,"  his  chief  work,  has  gone 
through  more  editions,  and  been  translated  into  more 
languages,  than  any  book  except  the  Bible.  It  is  an 
allegory  of  a  Christian's  life  from  the  time  of  his  con- 
version to  that  of  his  death. 

"  His  doubts  are  giants  ;  his  sins,  a  pack  ;  his  Bible,  a 
chart ;  his  minister,  Evangelist ;  his  conversion,  a  flight 
from  the  City  of  Destruction  ;  his  struggle  with  beset- 
ing  sins,  a  fight  with  Apollyon  ;  his  death,  a  toilsome 
passage  over  a  deep  stream,  and  so  on. 

"The  second  part  is  Christiana  and  her  family  led  by 
Greatheart  through  the  same  road,  to  join  Christian, 
who  had  gone  before." 


265.    THE  BLACK  ROOD  OF  SCOTLAND. 

When  the  Anglo-Saxon  princess  who  became  the 
wife  of  King  Malcolm  Ceanmore  landed  in  Scotland, 
about  the  year  1070,  she  brought  with  her  what  was  re- 
garded as  a  priceless  relic,  — a  casket  in  the  form  of  a 
cross,  containing  what  was  believed  to  be  a  piece  of  the 
true  cross,  set  in  an  ebony  crucifix,  richly  ornamented 
with  gold.  Of  the  earlier  history  of  this  relic,  nothing 
is  known  ;  but  St.  Margaret  bequeathed  it  to  her  chil- 
dren, and,  when  she  was  dying,  pressed  it  to  her  lips 
and  eyes,  and  expired  clasping  it  with  both  her  hands. 

The  contemporary  biographer  of  her  son,  King  David 
I.,  relates  that  the  "Black  Rood  of  Scotland,"  as  it  was 
called,  had  received  the  dying  adoration  of  that  saintly 
prince,  and  that  in  the  twelfth  century  it  had  come  to 


342 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


be  regarded  by  the  whole  Scottish  nation  with  feelings 
of  mingled  love  and  awe.  It  was  kept  as  an  heirloom 
of  the  kingdom,  in  the  castle  of  Edinburgh,  until,  with 
other  relics  of  Scotland,  it  was  delivered  to  King  Ed- 
ward I.  in  the  year  1291.  King  Edward  used  it  to  give 
increased  solemnity  to  the  oaths  of  fealty,  which  he 
exacted  of  the  magnates  of  Scotland. 

When  the  long  struggle  between  England  and  Scot- 
land was  ended  in  1328  by  the  peace  of  Northampton, 
the  Black  Rood  was  restored  to  Scotland  as  one  of  the 
national  treasures. 

When  the  hapless  King  David  II.  invaded  England 
in  1346,  he  took  the  Black  Rood  with  him,  in  belief 
that  it  would  insure  safety  to  his  person,  or  victory  to 
his  arms.  On  his  defeat  and  capture,  the  Black  Rood 
of  Scotland  became  the  prize  of  his  conqueror,  Lord  of 
Raby,  and,  together  with  other  spoils  of  the  battle,  was 
offered  up  at  the  Shrine  of  St.  Cuthbert  in  the  Cathe- 
dral of  Durham  ;  and  it  hung  there  until  the  Reforma- 
tion, when  all  trace  of  it  disappeared. 


266.    A  KING  THAT  CAME  TO  THE  THRONE  OF  FRANCE 
BEARING  FIVE  COFFINS  IN  HIS  TRAIN. 

Philip  III.,  surnamed  "the  Hardy,"  was  the  son  of 
Louis  IX.  (St.  Louis)  of  France,  and  succeeded  him 
(1270)  when  only  twenty-five  years  of  age. 

He  was  with  his  father  when  the  latter  died  of  the 
plague  at  the  siege  of  Tunis,  and  was  at  once  pro- 
claimed king. 

He  continued  the  war  against  the  Moors  in  Africa, 
until,  with  the  assistance  of  his  uncle,  Charles  of  An- 
jou,  he  had  reduced  the  King  of  Tunis  to  submission. 
He  then  returned  to  France,  bearing  in  his  train  five 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


343 


coffins,  those  of  his  father,  his  wife,  his  son,  his  brother, 
and  his  brother-in-law.  Philip  reigned  fifteen  years, 
and  in  that  time  the  only  important  event  was  what  is 
known  in  history  as  "The  Massacre  of  the  Sicilian 
Vespers." 

Charles  of  Anjou,  brother  of  St.  Louis,  had,  under 
the  sanction  of  the  Pope,  conquered  Sicily  and  Naples, 
and  taken  possession  of  the  crown.  His  cruelty  and 
want  of  faith  excited  the  hatred  of  a  naturally  vindic- 
tive people,  until  at  last,  while  the  citizens  of  Palermo 
were  assembling  for  vespers  on  Easter  Monday,  March 
30,  1282,  the  infuriated  natives  rose  en  masse,  and  fell, 
sword  in  hand,  upon  their  unsuspecting  oppressors  in 
every  part  of  the  city,  slaughtering  them  without  mercy. 
As  the  news  of  the  massacre  spread,  the  same  tragedy 
was  enacted  in  every  part  of  the  island,  until  at  last 
there  was  scarcely  a  Frenchman  alive  in  Sicily.  The 
Sicilians  then  offered  their  crown  to  Don  Pedro  of 
Aragon,  as  being  nearest  of  kin  to  their  old  line.  He 
soon  landed  on  the  island,  and  was  proclaimed  King  of 
Sicily.  The  Pope  was  so  enraged  at  Don  Pedro  for 
accepting  the  crown  of  Sicily,  that  he  declared  him 
to  have  forfeited  his  own  crown,  and  sent  Philip  III.  to 
take  it  from  him. 

Soon  after  the  French  army  advanced  into  Aragon, 
however,  a  pestilence  broke  out ;  and  the  king  himself 
took  the  disease,  and  died,  in  the  year  1284.  Don  Pedro 
of  Aragon  kept  the  island  of  Sicily ;  but  Charles  of 
Anjou  ruled  over  Naples  until  1435,  when  Naples  passed 
under  the  dominion  of  the  King  of  Aragon. 

The  kingdom  of  Naples  and  Sicily  belonged  to 
Spain  until  the  war  of  the  Spanish  succession  (1700- 
171 3),  when  Sicily  was  separated  from  Naples.  They 
were  both  in  i860  annexed  to  Italy. 


344 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


267.    OUR  MORAL  AND  PHYSICAL  ANTIPODES. 

The  Chinese,  topographically  our  antipodes,  are  as 
opposite  to  us  in  manners  and  customs. 

We  stand  feet  to  feet  in  almost  every  thing.  Our 
night  is  their  day.  Our  mourning  color  is  black,  theirs 
is  white.  Their  boats  are  drawn  by  men :  their  car- 
riages are  moved  by  means  of  sails. 

Old  men  fly  kites,  while  little  boys  look  on  :  with 
them  the  seat  of  honor  is  at  the  left  hand,  and  to  keep 
one's  hat  on  is  a  sign  of  respect.  We  drink  tea  hot, 
and  wine  cold :  they  drink  wine  hot,  and  tea  cold.  In 
China,  the  family  name  comes  first  instead  of  last ; 
thus,  John  Smith  would  be  Smith  John  :  and  the 
Chinese  name  of  Confucius,  Kung-Fu-tsee,  means  Holy 
Master  Kung,  Kung  being  his  family  name.  The  nee- 
dle of  their  compass  points  to  the  south,  ours  to  the 
north.  They  say  "  west-north  "  instead  of  north-west, 
"  east-south "  instead  of  south-east.  Their  soldiers 
wear  quilted  petticoats,  satin  boots,  and  bead  necklaces, 
carry  umbrellas  and  fans,  and  go  to  a  night  attack  with 
lanterns,  being  more  afraid  of  the  dark  than  the  enemy. 
They  mount  their  horses  on  the  right  side.  Visiting- 
cards  with  them  are  about  four  feet  long,  and  are 
painted  red.  The  children  in  school  sit  with  their 
b>acks  to  the  teacher,  and  study  their  lessons  aloud. 
Babies  in  China  seldom  cry.  This  may  be  accounted 
for  by  the  fact  that  the  older  children  go  out  to  play 
with  the  babies  strapped  to  their  backs.  In  the  opin- 
ion of  the  Chinese,  the  seat  of  the  understanding  is  the 
stomach.  A  married  woman,  when  young  and  pretty, 
is  a  slave :  when  she  is  old  and  withered,  she  is  the 
most  respected  and  beloved  member  of  the  family. 
Their  most  valued  piece  of  furniture  is  a  handsome 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


345 


camphor-wood  coffin,  which  they  keep  in  the  best  room. 
They  are  very  fond  of  fireworks,  but  always  display 
them  in  the  daytime.  A  Chinese  soldier  will  run  away 
in  time  of  danger,  and  then  kill  himself  to  avoid  pun- 
ishment. 

If  you  offend  a  Chinaman,  instead  of  killing  you,  he 
will  kill  himself  on  your  doorstep. 


268.    THE  WAYSIDE  INN. 

"Around  the  fireside  at  their  ease, 
There  sat  a  group  of  friends." 

The  old  Howe  Tavern  in  Sudbury,  Mass.,  has  been 
made  memorable  by  Longfellow's  beautiful  poem,  "  Tales 
of  a  Wayside  Inn  ;  "  and  an  added  interest  is  given  to 
the  poem  when  we  know  that  this  gathering  of 
"friends"  was  not  a  mere  poetical  fancy,  but  a  fact, 
and  that  among  the  dramatis  personce  are  many  well- 
known  characters. 

The  first  part  of  the  poem  was  written  in  1861, 
just  three  months  before  the  breaking-out  of  our  civil 
war. 

In  the  prelude  we  are  introduced  to  the  guests  at  the 
inn,  who  in  turn  beguile  the  evening  hours  with  an 
interchange  of  stories. 

"  But  first  the  landlord  will  I  trace, 
Grave  in  his  aspect  and  attire  : 
A  man  of  ancient  pedigree, 
A  justice  of  the  peace  was  he, 
Known  in  all  Sudbury  as  the  Squire." 

The  "landlord  "  was  Squire  Lyman  Howe;  and  his 
tale,  "  Paul  Revere's  Ride,"  is  the  first  of  the  series. 


346 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


"  A  youth  was  there  of  quiet  ways, 
A  student  of  old  books  and  days, 
To  whom  all  tongues  and  lands  were  known,. 
And  yet  a  lover  of  his  own." 

The  "student"  was  Dr.  Henry  W.  Wales  of  Boston, 
a  liberal  friend  of  Harvard  College.  His  tale  was 
"  The  Falcon  of  Ser  Federigo." 

"A  young  Sicilian,  too,  was  there, 
In  sight  of  yEtna  born  and  bred." 

The  "  Sicilian  "  was  Professor  Luigi  Monti,  an  author 
and  a  lecturer,  and  for  many  years  a  most  intimate . 
friend  of  Longfellow. 

His  tale  was  "  King  Robert  of  Sicily." 

"  A  Spanish  Jew  from  Alicant, 
With  aspect  grand  and  grave,  was  there ; 
Vender  of  silks  and  fabrics  rare, 
And  attar  of  rose  from  the  Levant." 

The  "  Spanish  Jew,"  named  Edrehi,  was  evidently 
introduced  to  give  variety  to  the  tales,  by  bringing  in 
thoughts  and  traditions  of  an  ancient  race  ;  for  he  was 
not  one  of  the  party,  though  a  Jew  with  whom  Long- 
fellow was  well  acquainted  in  Boston. 

He  adds  to  the  tales,  "The  Legend  of  Rabbi  Ben 
Levi." 

"  A  theologian,  from  the  school 
Of  Cambridge  on  the  Charles,  was  there : 
Skilful  alike  with  tongue  and  pen, 
He  preached  to  all  men  everywhere 
The  gospel  of  the  Golden  Rule." 

The  "theologian"  has  been  variously  assigned,  — by 
some  to  the  Rev.  Samuel  Longfellow,  a  brother  of  the 
poet ;  by  others  to  Professor  Trowbridge  :  but  Professor 
Monti  sets  all  doubts  at  rest  by  assuring  us,  in  his 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


347 


lecture  on  "  The  Wayside  Inn,"  that  the  theologian  was 
Professor  Daniel  Tredwell. 

He  took  as  his  subject  a  story  of  the  Inquisition, 
"Torquemada." 

"  A  poet,  too,  was  there,  whose  verse 
Was  tender,  musical,  and  terse." 

This  was  Dr.  Parsons,  known  best  to  scholars  by  his 
translation  of  the  "  Divina  Commedia."  He  was  a 
man  of  genius,  but  so  retiring  that  he  shrank  from  ap- 
plause, and  almost  dreaded  fame.  He  gave  "  The 
Birds  of  Killingworth." 

"Last  the  musician,  as  he  stood 
Illumined  by  that  fire  of  wood; 
Fair-haired,  blue-eyed,  his  aspect  blithe, 
His  figure  tall  and  straight  and  lithe, 
And  every  feature  of  his  face 
Revealing  his  Norwegian  race; 
A  radiance  streaming  from  within, 
Around  his  eyes  and  forehead  beamed ; 
The  angel  with  the  violin, 
Painted  by  Raphael,  he  seemed." 

One  has  no  difficulty  in  recognizing  Ole  Bull  in  this 
description.  He  was  born  at  Bergen,  Norway,  Feb.  5, 
1810. 

He  visited  the  United  States  several  times,  and  gave 
violin  recitals  with  great  success.  In  1852  he  bought  a 
large  tract  of  land  in  Pennsylvania,  and  there  founded 
a  colony,  which  was  called  Oleana  in  his  honor ;  but  it 
was  soon  given  up,  and  he  returned  to  his  profession. 

He  died  in  Norway,  Aug.  17,  1880,  aged  seventy 
years.  Ole  Bull  was  not  one  of  the  "  group  of  friends," 
but  is  a  very  important  factor  in  the  poem.  In  his 
tale,  "The  Saga  of  King  Olaf,"  we  have  some  striking 


348 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


specimens  of  Scandinavian  literature,  historical,  mythic, 
heroic,  and  romantic. 

"  A  strain  of  music  closed  the  tale, 
A  low,  monotonous,  funeral  wail, 
That  with  its  cadence,  wild  and  sweet, 
Made  the  long  Saga  more  complete. 
Then  all  arose,  and  said  "  Good-night." 

The  second  series  of  the  tales,  although  representing 
"The  Second  Day  "  at  the  inn,  was  not  published  until 
1872.  The  same  group  of  friends  in  a  similar  manner 
interchange  stories  and  music. 

A  third  series  appeared  in  1873,  representing  a  third 
evening.  In  this  are  some  of  the  most  beautiful  poems 
in  the  whole  collection,  and  the  closing  lines  are  full  of 
pathos :  — 

"  These  are  the  tales  those  merry  guests 
Told  to  each  other,  well  or  ill ;  .  .  . 
These  are  the  tales,  or  new  or  old, 
In  idle  moments  .idly  told  :  .  .  . 
And  still,  reluctant  to  retire, 
The  friends  sat  talking  by  the  fire.  .  .  . 
But  sleep  at  last  the  victory  won : 
They  must  be  stirring  with  the  sun ; 
And  drowsily  good-night  they  said, 
And  went,  still  gossiping,  to  bed.  .  .  . 
Uprose  the  sun ;  and  every  guest, 
Uprisen,  was  soon  equipped  and  dressed 
For  journeying  home  and  cityward.  .  .  . 
'  Farewell ! '  the  portly  landlord  cried : 
'  Farewell ! '  the  parting  guests  replied, 
But  little  thought  that  nevermore 
Their  feet  would  pass  that  threshold  o'er; 
That  nevermore  together  there 
Would  they  assemble,  free  from  care, 
To  breathe  the  wholesome  country  air." 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


349 


269.     THE  FARNESE  BULL  AND  THE  FARNESE 
HERCULES. 

The  name  "  Farnese "  has  been  bestowed  upon  sev- 
eral celebrated  works  of  art. 

It  was  the  name  of  an  illustrious  family  in  Italy  from 
the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century  to  1 73 1,  when  the 
family  became  extinct.  Many  of  its  members  filled  the 
highest  offices  of  the  Church  of  Rome. 

The  Farnese  Palace  at  Rome,  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
city,  was  erected  by  Cardinal  Alessandro  Farnese,  after- 
wards Pope  Paul  III.  (1534-49).  The  antique  sculp- 
tures for  which  it  was  renowned  are  now  in  the  museum 
at  Naples ;  and  two  at  least  still  bear  the  name  of  their 
original  owners, — the  Farnese  Bull  and  the  Farnese 
Hercules. 

I.  The  Farnese  Bull  is  a  colossal  work  of  art  consist- 
ing of  many  figures,  executed  from  a  single  block  of 
marble,  by  Apollonius  and  Tauriscus  of  the  Rhodian 
School  of  Art,  which  flourished  300  B.C. 

According  to  Pliny,  this  group  was  brought  from 
Rhodes  to  Rome,  where  it  first  adorned  the  library  of 
Asinius  Pollio,  and  then  the  Baths  of  Caracalla.  It 
was  discovered  among  the  ruins  of  the  latter  in  1546. 
Under  Paul  III.  it  was  restored  by  Bianchi,  who  worked 
according  to  the  direction  of  Michael  Angelo,  and  was 
placed  in  the  Farnese  Palace. 

"The  subject  of  the  composition  refers  to  the  punishment 
which  Zethus  and  Amphion,  the  sons  of  Antiope,  destined  for 
Dirce,  in  order  to  revenge  their  mother.  For  Dirce  had  not  only 
tormented  Antiope  with  singular  barbarity,  but  had  even  ordered 
her  two  sons,  who  had  grown  up  unknown  as  shepherds,  to  bind 
her  to  the  horns  of  a  wild  bull,  and  let  her  be  dragged  to  death. 
The  murder  of  their  mother  was  on  the  point  of  taking  place, 
when  the  recognition  between  mother  and  sons  was  brought  about 


35o 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


by  a  fortunate  chance.  The  tables  were  now  turned,  and  the  furi- 
ous sons  inflicted  on  Dirce  the  punishment  which  she  had  devised 
for  Antiope. 

"  The  group  represents  this  moment.  According  to  tradition,  the 
scene  takes  place  on  the  Cithseron,  which  is  indicated  by  the  rocky 
soil  and  the  small  figure  of  a  shepherd,  who  is  looking  on,  and  by 
various  animals  of  the  chase.  Zethus  and  Amphion,  two  vigor- 
ous though  slender  youthful  figures,  are  standing  opposite  each 
other  on  a  projection  of  the  rock,  endeavoring  to  restrain  the 
wildly  resisting  bull,  and  fasten  the  victim  to  it.  Dirce,  whose 
beautiful  body,  only  partly  concealed  by  drapery,  has  fallen  help- 
lessly, as  if  paralyzed  with  horror,  is  imploring  in  vain  for  pity, 
and  clasping  the  leg  of  one  of  the  brothers.  Inexorably  they  both 
continue  their  work,  while  Antiope  is  quietly  looking  on  in  the 
background.  In  the  next  moment  the  voluptuous  beauty  of  the 
splendid  female  figure  will  be  forever  annihilated. 

"The  group  has  similar  excellencies  with  that  of  the  Laocoon, 
(q.v.),  and  is  perhaps  even  more  artistically  and  boldly  constructed  : 
it  merits  admiration  also  in  a  technical  point  of  view  as  the  most 
colossal  marble  work  of  antiquity." 

II.  The  Farnese  Hercules  was  also  discovered  in  the 
Baths  of  Caracalla,  Rome,  during  the  reign  of  Paul  III. ; 
l>ut  the  legs  were  missing. 

The  Pope's  nephew,  Cardinal  Alessandro  Farnese, 
employed  Michael  Angelo  to  supply  them ;  but  it  is 
said  that  he  destroyed  his  work,  saying  it  was  not  for 
man  to  finish  the  work  of  gods. 

The  legs  were  afterwards  found  in  a  well  three  miles 
from  the  place  where  the  statue  was  discovered.  The 
statue  is  now  complete,  except  its  left  hand. 

"  The  Farnese  Hercules  is  the  work  of  an  Athenian,  Glycon, 
and  is  a  copy  of  an  original  of  Lysippus.  The  hero  is  represented 
as  resting  from  his  work;  but  he  is  standing  erect,  and  supporting 
himself  only  with  his  left  shoulder  on  his  club,  which  is  covered 
with  the  lion's  skin.  In  his  right  hand,  which  is  resting  against 
the  back,  he  is  holding  the  apples  of  the  Hesperidae. 

"  The  design  is  extremely  grand  ;  and  the  figure  has  something 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


351 


of  the  ideal  form  of  a  demi-god,  not  merely  from  its  colossal  size, 
but  still  more  from  the  powerful  structure  of  the  limbs." 

"  The  placid  attitude  of  the  Hercules,  and  benign  inclination  of 
head,  seem  to  invite  adoration,  and  rather  announce  the  divinity  of 
some  temple  than  a  mere  object  of  sculpture  displaying,  as  it  is 
thought,  the  muscles  of  a  man  just  respiring  from  toil." 


270.    THE  PRAGMATIC  SANCTION. 

The  term  Pragmatic  Sanction  signifies  a  business 
arrangement  which  is  generally  acknowledged  ;  but  in 
history  it  is  applied  to  settlements  affecting  national 
liberties,  or  the  succession  to  the  throne. 

The  Pragmatic  Sanction  of  Charles  III.  of  France, 

1438,  defined  and  limited  the  power  of  the  Pope  in 
France;  that  of  St.  Louis,  1268,  forbade  the  Court  of 
Rome  to  levy  taxes,  or  collect  subscriptions,  in  France, 
without  the  sanction  of  the  king  ;  that  of  Germany, 

1439,  secured  the  succession  of  the  empire  to  the  house 
of  Austria. 

In  1 7 1 3  the  Emperor  Charles  VI.,  having  lost  his 
son,  named  his  daughter,  Maria  Theresa,  as  his  heir, 
and  published  a  decree  making  this  appointment,  which 
was  out  of  the  usual  routine,  and  was  therefore  known 
as  the  Pragmatic  Sanction;  also,  in  1759,  Charles  II. 
of  Spain  ceded  the  succession  of  Naples  to  his  third 
son  and  his  descendants,  which  is  the  last  recorded 
Pragmatic  Sanction. 


271.   THE  AFGHANS. 

The  Afghan  chroniclers  call  their  people  Bani-Israel, 
the  Arab  for  children  of  Israel,  and  claim  descent  from 
King  Saul,  through  a  son  whom  they  ascribe  to  him 
called  Jeremiah,  who  again  had  a  son  called  Afghana. 


352 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


The  numerous  stock  of  Afghana  were  carried  captives 
with  other  Jews  by  Nebuchadnezzar.  Only  nine  years 
after  Mohammed  announced  his  mission,  they  heard  of 
the  new  prophet,  and  sent  a  deputy  to  Medina  headed 
by  a  wise  man  called  Kais.  The  deputies  became  con- 
verts, and  from  this  time  Jewish  Afghans  became  fol- 
lowers of  Mohammed.  From  Kais  and  his  three  sons 
the  whole  of  the  genuine  Afghans  claim  descent. 

Their  Hebrew  ancestry  is  credited  by  intelligent  his- 
torians, and  the  prevailing  type  of  feature  is  decidedly 
Jewish. 

Afghanistan  means  the  country  of  the  Afghans,  the 
name  given  to  this  race  of  people  by  the  Persians. 
Afghanistan  in  Asia  is  about  twice  as  large  as  the  State 
of  Texas.  The  mountains  are  covered  by  dense  forests, 
the  home  of  lions  and  tigers.  The  people  are  a  strong, 
brave  race,  divided  into  tribes,  which  are  often  at  war 
with  each  other. 

In  1838  England  declared  war  against  Afghanistan, 
on  the  ground  that  they  (the  Afghans)  had  attacked 
one  of  her  allies.  The  war  continued  until  Jan.  1,  1842, 
when  a  capitulation  was  concluded,  by  which  the  Eng- 
lish were  to  pay  a  large  amount  of  money,  evacuate  the 
country,  and  surrender  nearly  all  of  their  ammunition 
and  artillery.  The  Afghan  chiefs  promised  them  a  safe 
conduct  out  of  the  land  :  but,  as  they  marched  through 
the  mountain  passes,  they  were  fired  on  by  the  Af 
ghans ;  and  it  is  said  that  only  one  of  the  English 
escaped  to  Jelalabad  to  tell  the  tale. 


272.    THE  "THREE  FATES." 

According  to  Kiigler,  the  picture  in  the  Pitti  Palace, 
Florence,  called  the  "  Three  Fates,"  and  ascribed  to, 
Michael  Angelo,  was  painted  by  Rosso  Fiorentino. 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


353 


The  model  for  the  picture  is  said  to  have  been  an  old 
woman,  who  offered  her  son  to  fight  for  the  city  when 
Michael  Angelo  was  conducting  the  defence  of  Florence, 
in  1529. 

The  same  figure  is  represented  in  three  different 
attitudes,  and  with  such  difference  of  expression  that 
only  the  initiated  can  recognize  the  fact  of  its  being 
the  same  person.  In  mythology  the  "  Three  Fates " 
(or  the  Mcerae)  are  three  sisters,  daughters  of  Night, 
who  exercise  an  influence  over  the  destiny  of  man,  his 
6irth,  life,  and  death.  To  express  this  influence,  they 
are  represented  in  art  as  weaving  a  web.  Clotho  spins, 
Lachesis  holds,  and  Atropos  cuts,  the  thread  of  life ;  or 
else  Clotho  holds  the  distaff,  Lachesis  draws  out  the 
thread,  and  Atropos  with  large  shears  is  in  the  act  of 
cutting  it  off.  Such  is  the  representation  in  the  picture 
referred  to  above;  but  the  strength  of  the  picture  lies 
in  the  keen,  serene,  implacable  features  of  the  three 
-sisters,  who  so  consciously  control  the  destiny  of  man. 


273.  'THE  ORIFLAMME. 

The  sacred  oriflamme  of  France  was  a  red  silk  ban- 
ner mounted  on  a  gold  staff.  (Or,  gold,  referring  to 
the  staff ;  Jlammey  flame,  referring  to  the  tongues  of 
flame.)  The  flag  was  cut  into  three  "  Vandykes,"  to 
represent  "  tongues  of  fire  ;  "  and  between  either  was  a 
■silken  tassel. 

This  celebrated  standard  was  originally  that  borne  by 
the  abbots  of  St.  Denis,  and  later  by  the  counts  of 
Vezin,  patrons  of  that  church.  When  the  country 
of  Vezin  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  French  crown,  under 
Philippe  I.,  1082,  the  oriflamme  became  the  principal 
banner  of  the  kingdom.    It  was  first  used  as  a  national 


354 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


banner  in  1119.  In  war,  the  display  of  this  standard 
indicated  that  no  quarter  would  be  given.  The  English 
standard  of  no  quarter  was  the  "  burning  dragon." 

"  I  have  not  reared  the  oriflamme  of  death. 
.  .  .  me  it  behoves 
To  spare  the  fallen  foe." 

The  Abbey  of  St.  Denis  had  the  keeping  of  the 
crown,  sceptre,  and  other  ornaments  used  at  the  coro- 
nation of  the  kings  of  France.  St.  Denis,  the  patron 
saint  of  France,  was  the  first  bishop  of  Paris.  He  suf- 
fered martyrdom  during  one  of  the  persecutions  of  the 
Roman  emperors,  being  beheaded  in  272.  His  body 
was  buried  near  the  place  of  his  execution ;  and  over  the 
spot  a  church  was  built,  which  was  afterwards  united 
with  the  Abbey  of  St.  Denis.  This  church  contained 
the  tombs  of  most  of  the  French  kings;  but  in  1793, 
when  hatred  of  royalty  was  at  its  height  in  France,  the 
tombs  of  the  kings  were  opened,  and  their  bodies  cast 
into  a  common  grave. 


274.    THE  OLDEST  FAMILY. 

Confucius,  the  founder  of  the  Confucian  religion  of 
China,  lived  551  to  478  B.C.  He  was  contemporary 
with  the  Tarquins  of  Rome,  Pythagoras  of  Greece,  and 
Cyrus  of  Persia. 

His  descendants  form  the  aristocracy  of  China,  and 
have  always  enjoyed  high  privileges.  There  are  still 
some  forty  thousand  of  them,  seventy  generations  re- 
moved from  their  ancestor ;  this  being  the  oldest  fam- 
ily in  the  world,  unless  we  consider  the  Jews  a  single 
family  descended  from  Abraham. 

There  are  sixteen  hundred  and  sixty  temples  erected 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


355 


to  the  memory  of  Confucius,  or  Kung-Fu-tsee,  in  China, 
the  largest  one  covering  ten  acres  of  land. 

He  is  the  patron  saint  of  that  vast  empire ;  and  the 
doctrine  he  promulgated  forms  the  state  religion  of 
the  nation,  sustained  by  the  whole  power  of  the  emperor 
and  the  literary  body. 

Yet  it  is  a  religion  without  priests  or  liturgy.  Moral- 
ity and  reverence  are  its  chief  characteristics. 

"Worship  as  though  the  Deity  were  present."  "If 
my  mind  is  not  engaged  in  my  worship,  it  is  as  though 
I  worshipped  not."  "  Faithfulness  and  sincerity  are  the 
highest  things."  Reverence  for  parents,  or  the  aged, 
was  as  imperative  in  his  teaching  as  reverence  for  the 
Deity ;  and  the  Golden  Rule  in  its  negative  form  is 
found  in  his  writings,  —  "  Do  not  unto  others  what  you 
would  not  have  them  do  unto  you." 

The  religion  of  Confucius  is  an  ethnic  religion,  or 
one  confined  within  the  boundaries  of  a  particular  race 
or  family  of  mankind.  It  belongs  to  China  and  the 
Chinese.  It  has  been  their  state  religion  for  some 
twenty-three  hundred  years,  and  it  rules  the  opinions 
of  three  hundred  millions  of  men.  But,  out  of  China, 
Confucius  is  only  a  name. 

There  are  two  other  forms  of  religion  in  China, — 
Taoism,  and  Buddhism  in  its  Chinese  form. 


275.    THE  RING  IN  THE  MARRIAGE  CEREMONY. 

The  use  of  the  ring  as  a  pledge  is  of  very  ancient 
date.  "  And  Pharaoh  said  unto  Joseph,  See,  I  have  set 
thee  over  all  the  land  of  Egypt. 

"  And  Pharaoh  took  off  his  ring  from  his  hand,  and 
put  it  upon  Joseph's  hand."    (Gen.  xli.  41,  42.) 

Clemens  tells  us  its  use  in  the  marriage  service  be- 


356 


CURIOUS  QUESTIONS. 


gan  in  Egypt,  and  then,  as  now,  signified  a  transfer  of 
property.  "  With  all  my  worldly  goods  I  thee  endow." 
The  marriage-ring  gave  to  an  Egyptian  woman  the 
power  to  issue  commands  in  the  name  of  her  husband, 
and  made  her  in  every  way  his  representative. 

Among  the  Anglo-Saxons,  the  bridegroom  gave  a 
pledge,  or  "wed"  (a  term  from  which  we  derive  the 
word  wedding),  at  the  betrothal  ceremony.  This  wed 
consisted,  among  other  things,  of  a  ring,  which  was 
placed  on  the  maiden's  right  hand,  and  remained  there 
until  transferred  at  the  marriage  ceremony  to  the  left 
hand.  At  this  ceremony  the  bridegroom  put  the  ring 
first  on  the  end  of  the  thumb,  then  on  the  first,  and 
then  on  the  second  finger,  naming  the  Trinity ;  and 
lastly  placed  it  on  the  third  or  marriage  finger,  to  sig- 
nify that  next  to  God  her  duty  was  to  her  husband. 
Our  marriage  ceremony  is  very  nearly  the  same  as  that 
used  by  our  forefathers,  a  few  obsolete  words  being 
changed. 

The  ring  by  its  form  is  a  symbol  of  eternity,  and  in 
the  marriage  ceremony  is  a  pledge  before  God  of  the 
intention  of  both  parties  to  keep  forever  the  solemn 
covenant  into  which  they  have  entered.  Wedding- 
presents,  of  various  descriptions,  have  been  customary 
from  remote  times. 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Abandonment  of  Sun- 

Authors    Famous    for  One 

PAGE 

?8c 

Work  

319 

A  rl  r  i  d  n  T  V 

C7 

Autocrat  of  the  Russias    .  . 

114 

l6 

•328 

Barer  

<zrY\ iIIpq 

24 

Afghans 

"J  CI 

41 

Agassiz  L.  J.  R. 

I  CO 

163 

Agra  

.  98 

Barbarossa,  Frederick   .    .  . 

58 

.  194 

l82 

.  24 

224 

Albion,  Perfidious     .    .  . 

.  308 

71 

.  203 

Battle  of  the  Books  .... 

143 

.  145 

Battle  won  after  Death  .    .  . 

30 

.  71 

Bayeux  Tapestry  

35 

.  187 

Berkshire,  White  Horse  of 

279 

•  19 

173 

American  Pseudonymes 

.  294 

Black  Rood  of  Scotland    .  . 

34i 

Blenheim  Madonna  .... 

74 

.  224 

Blind  Man's  Answer  .... 

69 

Angelo,  Michael     37,  in, 

125, 156, 

Bluebeard,  Original  .... 

245 

178, 

220,  353 

242 

•  199 

Bonnivard,  Francois  .... 

3 

.  277 

Book,  Most  Curious  .... 

105 

.  69 

81 

Arundelian  Marbles  .    .  . 

• 

Bravest  Man  in  England    .  . 

225 

•  97 

Brazen  Serpent  of  Moses   .  . 

313 

.  321 

British  Museum    .     57,  91,  99 

182 

.  46 

79 

•  M5 

53 

365 


366 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

PAGE 

Buddhistic  Monuments  .  . 

•  "5 

City  of  Violated  Treaty    .  . 

211 

.  340 

162 

Buonarroti  Papers     .    .  . 

.  220 

Cleobulus  of  Lyndus     .    .  . 

173 

.  147 

Cleopatra     ...  ... 

I32 

.  145 

I08 

Burial-Place  of  Columbus  . 

•  329 

258 

Clerks  of  the  Revels     .    .  . 

'S3 

221 

Clock,  Strasbourg  .... 

38 

Cambray,  Peace  of    .    .  . 

•  318 

101 

128 

Cohort  of  Three  Hundred .  . 

101 

.  212 

Collingborne,  Sir  William  .  . 

84 

Caroline  of  Brunswick  .  . 

190 

Colosseum  of  Rome  .... 

312 

101 

329 

Carstens,  Asmus  Jacob  .  . 

.  209 

Conqueror  killed  by  a  Woman, 

157 

Casting  a  Shoe  after  a  Bride 

15 

Conversion    of    Light  into 

Cathedral  of  St.  Isaac  .  . 

327 

179 

Catholic  and  Protestant  Ser 

75 

66 

74 

3i7 

221 

Central-Park  Obelisk    .  . 

240 

15 

277 

15 

72 

303 

38 

70 

52,  61 

Culloden  Moor,  Battle  of*  .  . 

37 

42 

105 

Charles  II  

70 

Curtain  is  the  Picture    .    .  . 

135 

140 

148 

213 

158 

Chillon,  Prisoner  of  .    .  . 

3 

Chilon  of  Lacedaemon  .  . 

173 

Dante  63, 287 

344 

107 

China,  Tae  Ping  Rebellion  in 

7 

Death-Warrant  of  Jesus    .  . 

17 

China,  Great  Wall  of    .  . 

83 

Deities  of  London  .... 

232 

China,  First  Account  of 

136 

Diamonds,  Six  Famous  .    .  . 

48 

83 

3° 

266 

148 

Choragic  Monuments    .  . 

172 

Document,  Important  Legal  . 

17 

Christ,  Likenesses  of     .  . 

26 

65 

Chronic  Grumbler     .    .  . 

100 

82 

Chronicle  of  the  Cid  .    .  . 

230 

72 

30 

18 

229 

Dream  of  Fair  Women  .  .133 

236 

142 

Dying  Words  of  Gregory  VII. 

243 

INDEX. 


367 


EARLY  Madonnas  .... 

PAGE 

2Q!: 
7J 

Frederick  Barbarossa    .  . 

58 

91 

French  Revolution  .... 

285 

1 14 

GENRE  Pictures  .... 

Effect  of  Franco-Prussian  War, 

339 

202 

132 

261 

Egypt,  River  Nile  in  ...  . 

28 

118 

Eighth  Wonder  of  the  World 

159 

iqi 

42 

Gettysburg,  Battle  of 

Q4 

43 

161 

91 

Ghiberti,  Lorenzo  .... 

no 

117 

Gladiators,  Last  of    ...  . 

174 

Endor,  Witch  of  

2  52 

Godfrey  de  Bouillon  .... 

200 

England,  Bravest  Man  in  . 

22  5 
J 

God  save  the  King  .... 

274. 

England,  Heraldry  in    .    .  . 

26=; 

146 
1 

57 

2X2. 

38 

151 

85 

292 

Epic  Poem  of  Spain  .... 

229 

Golden  Temple  of  Umritseer, 

5Q 

Eras,  B.C.  and  A.D  

186 

Gondoliers  of  Venice    .    .  . 

104 

I  5Q 

IQ5 

Essay  on  Criticism  .... 

261 

Granite  Columns  of  St.  Mark's, 

86 

136 

34 

316 

Great  Bed  of  Ware  .... 

302 

199 

Great  Britain,  Last  Battle  in  . 
Greatest  Name  in  German  Lit- 

37 

FAERIE  Queene  .... 

268 

146 

140 

24 

349 

Greece,  Seven  Wise  Men  of  . 

171 

Farnese  Palace  

125 

Greek  Fire 

4.0 

Fasti  Capitolini  

122 

Greeks,  Trio  of  .... 

Fates,  Three  

152 

Gregory,  Pope  

Feather  in  One's  Cap 

57 

Guelphs  59 

l6l 

Felton  C  C 

I  5Q 

Fenelon,  Francois  .... 

208 

Hat  f-tot  r>  Tale 

ft    A  -  V  1  ,  X          i    \    >  1,1'       1    iUL            •          •  • 

212 

IO3 

47 

Fernando  de  Soto  .... 

I46 

Harleian  Collection  .... 

99 

Fire,  Greek  

40 

99 

First  Great  Picture  .... 

6 

Hassan  Ben  Sabbal  .... 

97 

195 

167 

Foundation  of  Venice   .    .  . 

293 

60 

Founder  of  Mormonism    .  . 

226 

23 

93 

Heart  of  Mid- Lothian   .    .  . 

109 

Franco-Prussian  War     .    .  . 

339 

66 

368 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Helmichis   20 

Heraldry  in  England  ....  265 

Herculaneum  ,  108 

Herodotus   157 

Highest  Monument    ....  247 

Hindoo  Sacred  Books   .    .    .  326 

Hohenstaufens   150 

Hohenzollerns   211 

Homer     .    .    .    .    .    .    .62,  167 

Houdon   261 

Huayna  Capac   46 

Hugo,  Victor  62,  281 

Huguenot     exempted  from 

Massacre   77 

Huguenots  134 

Hungsewtseuen   8 

Hypatia   196 

ICONOCLASTES  ....  43 

Idris,  Chair  of   38 

Ignatius  de  Loyola    ....  88 

II  Bambino   163 

Iliad  of  France   93 

Iliad,  Homer's   167 

II  Trovatore   223 

Image  of  Nabis   318 

Incas,  Last  of   45 

India   115 

Inez  de  Castro  1,  129 

Inferno   287 

Ink,  River  of   337 

Insignia  of  Napoleon    .    .    .  139 

Instant  before  the  Battle    .    .  178 

Inundation  of  the  Nile  ...  28 

Invention,  Most  Important     .  310 

Irving,  Washington   ....  34 

Isaiah   63 

Island  of  Seven  Cities  .    .    .  188 

"  Ivanhoe,"  Rebecca  of  .    .    .  34 

Ivan  the  Terrible   112 

JACOB'S  Pillow   104 

Jamaica   117 


PAGE 

Janizaries   165 

Jeanie  Deans   109 

Jerome,  St   66 

Jerusalem,  King  of    ...    .  200 

Jerusalem,  Temple  of    ...  168 

Jesuits   88 

Jesus,  Death- Warrant  of    .    .  17 

Jew,  Wandering   298 

Johnson,  Dr.  Samuel     .    .    .  155 

Jonathan,  Brother     ....  79 

Jousts  and  Tournaments    .    .  164 

Julian  the  Apostate  ....  168 

Julius  Caesar   132 

Junius,  Letters  of   55 

Juvenal   63 

KALIDASA   138 

Kaliphs,  Last  of   267 

Keats,  John   21 

Kellerman,  Gen   121 

Keystone  State   169 

Key  of  Death   107 

Khorassan,  Veiled  Prophet  of,  47 

King  bearing  Five  Coffins  .  .  342 
King,  first,  second,  third,  and 

fourth  of  his  name     .    .    .  153 

King  and  Queen  elected  .  .  80 
King  who  could  not  speak  his 

Nation's  Language ....  261 

King  of  the  French  ....  142 

King  exhibited  in  Cage  ...  41 

Kit-Cat  Pictures   188 

Koran   114 

Kremlin   130 

Ladies'  Peace   318 

Laocoon   214 

La  Pieta   156 

Largest  Statue   231 

Last  of  Kaliphs   267 

Last  Communion  of  St.  Je- 
rome   65 

Last  of  Romans   274 


INDEX. 


369 


PAGE 

PAGE 

143 

321 

Martyrdom  of  St.  Agnes  . 

•  143 

Last  of  Gladiators     .    .    .  . 

174 

Martyrdom  of  St.  Peter 

.  106 

176 

,  Il6 

89 

Mary  and  William     .    .  . 

.  80 

Legal  Document,  Important  . 

17 

•  157 

55 

.  268 

103 

Masterpieces  of  Michael  An- 

Liberty  enlightening  the  World, 

231 

.  I78 

44 

.  76 

179 

Mechanician,  Celebrated 

•  199 

Likenesses  of  Christ  .... 

26 

Medici,  Catherine  de 

•  79 

Lilly,  William  

322 

•  283 

211 

•  75 

155 

Merchants,  Guild  of  .  . 

.  no 

Livermore,  Harriet  .... 

255 

.  328 

Literature,  Classic  and  Roman- 

. 16 

tic   

162 

43.  212 

123 

•  25 

222 

.  24 

Lombard  Republic  .... 

IOI 

.  114 

London,  Deities  of    ...  . 

232 

345 

.  56 

142 

Loyola,  Ignatius  de    .    .    .  . 

88 

Monument,  Highest  .  . 

.  247 

21 

i8i 

Lucrezia  Borgia  

81 

.  181 

128 

30,  297 

274 

•  344 

Maccabees  

217 

Moscow,  City  of    .    .  . 

•  131 

Machiavelli,  Nicolo  .... 

189 

Moscow  Cathedral    .  . 

.  119 

Madonna  di  San  Sisto    .    .  . 

M 

.  179 

295 

Moses,  Brazen  Serpent  of 

•  3*3 

Mahabharata     ....     138,  326 

.  195 

Make  Room  for  Raphael    .  . 

14 

•  233 

103 

.  147 

Man  exhibited  in  Cage  .    .  . 

41 

Mountain,  Old  Man  of  . 

•  97 

Manufactured  Stones     .    .  . 

*45 

Man  who  stood  on  Pillar    .  . 

84 

NABIS,  Image  of    .  . 

.  318 

91 

•  139 

136 

7i,  308 

126 

•  134 

37o 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

PAGE 

Nation  which  used  Wooden 

Pennsylvania,  Keystone  State, 

169 

16 

Pennsylvania  Pilgrim    .    .  . 

Il8 

126 

Perfection  no  Trifle  .... 

37 

New  and  Old  Time  .... 

250 

308 

191 

Periander  of  Corinth     .    .  . 

m 

Nile,  Inundation  of    ...  . 

28 

45 

No  Royal  Road  to  Learning  . 

% 

89 

Nucleus  of  the  Resurrection 

Philip  of  Macedon  .... 

221 

Body  

242 

342 

Philippoteaux,  Paul  .... 

94 

OBELISK  in  Central  Park  . 

240 

179 

25 

Physical  Antipodes  .... 

344 

Object  of  Don  Quixote  .    .  . 

72 

Pilgrim's  Progress  .... 

340 

44 

84 

170 

87 

167 

Pittacus  of  Mitylene  .... 

173 

121 

102 

Old  Man  of  the  Mountain  .  . 

97 

46 

Old  and  New  Time  .... 

250 

18 

277 

Poet  whose  Name  was  writ  in 

353 

21 

Oldest  Statue  

271 

44 

Oracle,  the  Literary  .... 

155 

107 

197 

335 

353 

263 

Origin  of  Surnames  .... 

3X4 

57 

Origin  of  Thimbles  .... 

296 

243 

Original  Bluebeard  .... 

245 

,  129 

Origin  of  lifting  the  Hat    .  . 

44 

182 

51 

Pragmatic  Sanction  .... 

35i 

151 

277 

157 

Presentation  of  the  Virgin  .  . 

143 

203 

PALIS SY,  Bernard     .    .  . 

77 

Prophets  and  Sibyls  .... 

301 

Paradise,  Gates  of  .... 

no 

323 

Parliament,  Curious  Customs, 

7 

Pun  that  cost  a  Life  .... 

84 

135 

Pyramid  of  Caius  Cestius  .  . 

221 

«3* 

QUEEN   crowned  after 

96 

25 

1 

Pastorius,  Francis  Daniel  .  . 

Il8 

Queen  who  drank  from  a  Cup 

I 

made  of  a  Skull  .... 

20 

3°7 

Queen  of  the  East  .... 

171 

INDEX. 


PAGE 

Queen  who  died  of  a  Broken 


Heart   190 

Queen  who  Married  her  Broth- 
ers   132 

RaMAYANA     .    .    .     138,  326 

Raphael  6,  14,  125 

Rats,  Trial  of   140 

Rebecca  of  "  Ivanhoe  "...  34 

Reign  of  Terror   273 

Revels,  Clerks  of   153 

Rienzi   274 

Ring  in  Marriage  Service  .    .  355 

River  of  Ink   336 

Robbing  Peter  to  pay  Paul     .  102 

Rock  of  Refuge   292 

Roderigo  Diaz   30 

Roland  and  Oliver    ....  51 

Roman  Sculpture   320 

Romans,  Last  of   274 

Romance  of  the  Rose    ...  93 

Romantic  Literature  ....  162 

Rome,  Colosseum  of .    .    .    .  312 

Rope  of  Ocnus   44 

Rosamond   20 

Rose,  Golden   292 

Rubens   305 

Rurik   114 

Ruskin,  John   68 

Russia,  Czar  of   112 

SABBATH,  or  Sunday    .    .  324 

Sacred  Books   201 

Sacred  Books  of  the  Hindoos,  326 

Sacro  Catino   320 

"Sakuntala"   138 

Sanskrit  Literature    .    .    .    .  172 

St.  Bruno,  Statue  of  ...    .  261 

St.  Mark's  Columns  ....  86 

St.  Paul   221 

St.  Paul's  Cathedral  ....  102 

St.  Peter's  Cathedral     .    .    .  102 

Schinkel,  Carl  F   210  I 


371 

PAGE 

Scone   104 

Scott,  Sir  Walter  ....  34,  109 

Sculpture,  Roman   320 

Second  Great  Picture    ...  65 

Seven  Lamps  of  Architecture,  68 

Seven  Sleepers  of  Ephesus    .  85 

Seven  Wise  Men  of  Greece    .  173 

Shah  Jehan   98 

Shakspeare   64 

Silence,  Towers  of     ....  161 

Simeon  the  Stylite     ....  84 

Sistine  Chapel   301 

Six  Famous  Diamonds  ...  48 

Slip 'twixt  Cup  and  Lip .    .    .  112 

Smith,  Joseph   226 

"Snowbound"   253 

Solon  of  Athens   173 

Songs  of  Gondoliers  ....  304 

Southey,  Robert   230 

Spain,  Epic  Poem  of  ...    .  229 

Sphinx  Riddle   120 

Spies  of  the  Czar   75 

Spencer   212 

Spenser,  Edmund   268 

Stanhope,  Lady  Hester  .     255,  256 

Strasbourg  Clock   38 

Statue,  Oldest   271 

Statue,  Largest   231 

Stone  of  Destiny   104 

Suez  Canal   145 

Sumner,  Charles   159 

Sunday,  Abandonment  of  .    .  285 

Sunday  Stone   157 

Surnames   314 

Swift,  Dean   143 

Swiss  Guards   22 

Tables,  Eugubine   ...  316 

Tae  Ping  Rebellion   ....  7 

j  Taj  Mahal   98 

Tales  of  a  Wayside  Inn    .    .  345 

I  Tamerlane   41 

Tapestry,  Bayeux   35 


INDEX. 


372 

PAGE 


Tara's  Hall   180 

Telemachus   175 

Telemaque   208 

Telling  the  Bees   77 

Temple  of  Jerusalem    .    .    .  168 

Temple,  Sir  William     .    .    .  143 

Tenebrae   284 

Tennyson  ...     38,  133,  236,  281 

«  Tent  on  the  Beach  "...  9 

Thales  of  Miletus     ....  173 

"  Three  Friends  of  Mine  "  .    .  1 59 

Theodoric   20 

Thimbles   296 

Third  Great  Picture  ....  106 

Thirteen  a  Lucky  Number     .  60 

Thorwaldsen  22, 209 

Tibaldo   107 

Tien-wang   8 

Time,  Old  and  New  ....  250 

Tintoretto   143 

Titian   106 

Toltecs   16 

Tomyris   158 

Tom  Thumb   23 

Tomb  of  Charlemagne  ...  61 

Topes   115 

Tories   154 

Tournaments  and  Jousts    .    .  164 

Tower  of  the  Winds     .    .    .  173 

Towers  of  Silence     ....  161 

Transfiguration   6 

Trappists   261 

Trial  of  Rats   140 

"  Trifles  make  Perfection ".    .  37 

Tripoli   325 

Trio  of  Modern  Greeks     .    .  209 

Trumbull,  Jonathan  ....  79 

Turkey's  Unsubdued  Province  196 


UMRITSEER,  Golden  Tem- 
ple of    59 

Utopian  Schemes   181 

Ulysses   307 


PAGE 


Valerian   208 

Valmy,  Battle  of   122 

Vasari   14 

Vasco  de  Gama   128 

Vatican   193 

Vatican,  Jewel  of   6 

Vedas  172,  326 

Venice  ...  86,  no,  126,  293,  304 

Verdi,  Guiseppe   224 

Vespasian   312 

Victories  of  Reign  of  Terror  .  272 

Victory  of  United-States  Flag,  325 

Victoria,  Queen   155 

Virgil   332 

Vocal  Memnon   283 

Wagner,  Richard  ...  123 

Wandering  Jew   298 

Ware,  Great  Bed  of  .  .  .  .  302 
Warrior  who  led  Troops  after 

Death   30 

Washington  Monument .    .    .  247 

Wax  Figures    ......  96 

Wayside  Inn   345 

Wedgwood   184 

Westminster  Abbey  .    .    .  96,  102 

Whigs   154 

White  Horse  of  Berkshire  .  279 
Whittier,  John  G.  .  9,77,118,253 

Wickliffe,  John   222 

Wilberforce,  William    .    .    .  154 

Windfall   216 

Wilhelmina   92 

William  I.,  II.,  III.,  IV.     .    .  153 

William  and  Mary     ....  80 

Witch  of  Endor   252 

Woman  who  assumed  to  be 

the  Holy  Ghost   92 

Women  engaged  in  War    .    .  7 
Women  of  Weinsburg  ...  67 
Wooden  Swords  used  in  Bat- 
tle   16 

Woolsack  in  Parliament     .    .  7 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Work  of  Art  with  Guardian  .  182  ZENOBIA 
Worship  of  the  Golden  Calf  .    143  Zeuxis 

Zisca,  John 

YOUNG,  Brigham  ....  228 


1 


